Eight Years Loving You
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: They had a lot ahead of them, things they'd like and things they wouldn't like, things that would bring them closer, and things that would test them. (Monochrome, Apartment AU).
1. Moving In, The First Night

**Another AU! I already have a Bumblebee Apartment AU but this will be a Monochrome one :3 I wrote this fic about half a year ago, so I'm happy to finally post it now!**

 **A/N: This is a normal life AU. No Grimm or huntsman, but Faunus exist.**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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Chapter 1. Moving In, The First Night

There were a lot of exciting things going on for Weiss and Blake.

By far, the biggest one was the fact that they were finally moving in together into their own apartment.

They'd started as classmates in middle school, and had somehow been promoted to high school sweethearts a few years afterward.

Weiss' father had hardly been happy about her being friends with a Faunus at first, but he had gradually gotten used to Blake over the years. He couldn't forbid Weiss from seeing her or any other Faunus due to the nondiscriminatory school district.

But discovering his youngest daughter was _dating_ said Faunus a few years later had been more than a little off-putting for him.

For months, he was begrudging towards Weiss and even more so towards Blake, giving them the cold shoulder in addition to curt replies. Her older sister Winter also hadn't been very thrilled.

But even then, her father and sister had come to accept the reality of things as best they could.

Which was why – after Weiss and Blake been dating for eight years already – her father and sister understood that Weiss really loved Blake.

Thus, after many nights of discussion and planning, her father had agreed to let them move in together to their first apartment.

Blake's parents hadn't been opposed at all, and naturally the two girls themselves had been beyond thrilled. With both of them freshly out of college and in their early twenties now, the apartment had been a gift from their parents.

Although, once Blake and Weiss moved in, the deal was they would have to pay for rent and everything else out of their own pockets.

This was more a test than anything, a test from their parents to see if they could truly handle living alone with one another. Dating in high school was simple enough because both girls had still been living in their families' houses, and the same held true for college.

But now, as novices in their new jobs in their respective professions, they would have to provide for themselves without the financial assistance of others.

They were both determined to prove themselves to their parents, to prove that eight years of being together wasn't just going to crumble down after a few weeks or months living together.

They had much more faith in their bond than that.

Presently, Weiss and Blake were just finishing up moving the last of the boxes into their apartment. It was a small, humble place, but it had every necessary feature.

The bedroom had a single king-sized bed along with two dressers and a closet space, the bathroom was small, but everything was running properly. The kitchen had an oven, stove, and microwave as well as several filled pantries, a refrigerator, and a little table with two chairs to sit at. Finally, there was a living area consisting of one couch, a love seat, a few shelves, and a television.

They'd spent the past two days moving things into the apartment, but had slept the nights at their parents' houses for the last times. Tonight would be their first night spent here – together.

And despite how long they'd been dating, how many dates they'd gone on, and how clearly in love they were, the pair had never spent an entire night alone together before.

The excitement was palpable in the air as they both climbed the steps from the main door to reach their apartment, carrying the last of the boxes of what they'd taken from home.

The two girls set their things down on the wooden floor before scurrying back down the steps and rushing outside. Their parents had driven by to drop off the last of their items today, and now it was time for them to leave.

Weiss went to her father and paused a few feet in front of him.

"Thank you for everything, Father," she said. "You won't regret this. None of us will."

He looked her over for a long moment; she was still so trusting, so innocent and blissful to the hardships of the world. Of course she'd be excited about living together with her girlfriend now, and that excitement would last for the next several weeks or so.

But once the bills started piling up and arguments became frequent, he knew his youngest daughter would face many troubles. But this was reality, and she was going to have to face it sooner or later.

"Don't forget," he said. "From here on out, you've both got to pay for expenses yourselves. Frugality will be your ally, and frivolity your greatest enemy."

"I know, Father. I won't let that happen. I won't soil the trust you've put in me. In _both_ of us." She looked back over her shoulder to where Blake was having a similar conversation with her own mother and father. Then, Weiss met her father's eyes once again. "Thank you for everything, Father. You're always welcome to visit if you'd like. Winter hasn't seen the place yet - I'll call her as well. And I'll be home for holidays and other gatherings, so don't worry."

Her father only nodded. He reached out and patted her shoulder, an incredibly rare display of affection for such a stoic man.

He wasn't intent to watch his daughter fail with all of this and come home crying to him so he could mock her. But he was entirely prepared for the day he received a call begging for help or money, or the day Weiss knocked on the family door declaring she and Blake had broken up.

He could only think of the worst-case scenario things, because he was experienced in the ways of life, and knew the possibilities were all too real.

But for now, at the very least, he wanted his daughter to enjoy this new life with her lover, Faunus ears and all.

Weiss dared to hug her father briefly before stepping away with one final promise.

"I won't disappoint you."

With that, she turned around and waited for Blake to finish speaking to her parents.

Weiss listened to the sound of her own father's footsteps trekking across the small grassy area and then to the parking lot where a car was waiting for him. They had a few servants at home, and her father had offered to give Weiss a maid, at least on weekends, but she'd politely refused, declaring she was intent to take care of this new life with Blake, and Blake alone.

She heard the engine start, and within seconds, her father was gone.

Blake's parents were a bit more open and accepting about everything, and had a bit more faith in their daughter.

"Times might get tough," her mother cautioned. "But you'll get through them. You and Weiss have already gone through quite a lot together over the years. There will be troubles ahead no doubt, but make sure you talk things through."

"And," her father added. "I know you said you wanted to do this on your own, but if you ever need anything, just give us a call."

"I will," Blake reassured them. "And I'll be home for holidays and birthdays. Try not to worry about me."

Her request was an impossible one, but her parents simply nodded. They each pulled her into a hug, and Blake purred softly for each of them.

"Thank you for everything."

They each kissed her forehead before heading for the parking lot.

At last, Blake turned around to find Weiss in much the same position.

With their backs turned to their parents now, they both stepped forward towards one another, their new apartment complex painting the backdrop behind them.

Weiss reached down to find Blake's hands, squeezing them tightly, her crystal blue eyes alight with enthrallment.

"This is it!" she whispered. "We're finally here. This is real... I still can't believe it!"

"Me neither. It's going to be amazing."

Their eyes met, and in the ensuing silence, they shared a brief kiss.

Weiss could hear the purr in Blake's chest even from this distance, and when they parted, she didn't believe she'd ever seen her girlfriend's Faunus ears standing quite as tall as they were now.

The day was still in full-swing, so Weiss made a suggestion.

"Let's have a walk around to get used to the scenery."

Blake nodded.

"I'd love to."

Hand-in-hand, they started off along the little sidewalk that cut through the grass.

It was early springtime, and though there were still traces of the winter winds on the breeze, the sun was shining brightly.

They passed several other brown buildings constructed just like their own complex, all of which had large, skinny bushes decorating the lawns. Within a few weeks, flowers and colors would speckle the area, and the warm weather would draw out the children who lived here.

All kinds of people lived in these apartments - loners, couples, or entire families, some human, some Faunus, some mixed like they were.

Seeing a human-Faunus pair was uncommon in these parts, and rarer still was to find them of the same sex. But they no longer lived in an era where discrimination towards couples of any kind was acceptable.

It was nice to walk along the buildings with their chins held high and proud.

This was their new territory, their new home.

They met a lot of their neighbors as they walked, occasionally pausing to chat with a few other couples or watch the children playing outside.

Weiss and Blake were welcomed here with open arms; seeing a young, mixed pair like them seemed to give others a bit of hope as well, as these two girls were proof that times had changed for the better.

The area the apartment buildings took up wasn't more than a few blocks wide, but they walked and chatted with various people for close to two hours.

By the time they'd looped back around to their own building, they thought they'd be exhausted from the walk.

But the excitement was only rekindled anew, lighting instant flames in their chests at the thought of really starting their new life together now.

Blake reached into her pocket and fished out a key, and Weiss was ready to follow her to the door.

But her Faunus girlfriend had _other_ ideas, it seemed.

With a smirk and one swift motion, Blake dove forward and scooped Weiss up into her arms bridal style.

"Oh!" Weiss squeaked, looping her arms around Blake's neck. "Blake, we don't have to make a scene."

"And why not? I think we deserve to make a bit of a scene and let everyone know we're here to stay. Plus, I wanna show you off and brag to them all about the adorable girlfriend I've got."

Dipping her head, she kissed Weiss' scarred cheek. The latter rolled her eyes playfully, but sighed in good-hearted defeat.

"I guess I can allow it for today."

Blake's purr grew louder as she began making her way toward their building, the key in her right hand beneath Weiss' shoulders.

When she reached the door, she was careful not to bump Weiss into anything as she carefully felt around for the lock and slipped the key into place.

Once inside, Blake locked the door behind them before starting on the staircase.

It was impossible for Weiss to keep the smile off her face, so she let it stay as Blake carried her up. Her head rested lightly against the dark-haired girl's shoulder, and Weiss could easily hear her purr now, even past the thumping of footsteps on wood.

Twelve steps later, they were in their brand new apartment, presently lit only by the slanting sunlight cast through the windows.

Boxes of unpacked items still lined the walls, and only the essential furniture had been set up so far. There was a wide space on their living room floor between the couch and the TV, and Blake chose that area to spin Weiss and herself around in merry circles.

She kicked off her shoes quickly, and without rugs on the sleek wooden floors, Blake spun in circles in her socks as though she were ice skating. She laughed without restraint, purring louder and louder all the while.

"We're here!" she exclaimed. "We did it, Weiss!"

And Weiss could finally exclaim her own joy.

"Yes! We've done it! We can be together now, Blake!" She tightened her embrace on Blake's shoulders and nuzzled into the side of her neck.

Their hearts were soaring, and for the first time in the eight years since they'd commenced their relationship, they truly felt free.

Because they _were_.

Blake spun Weiss around again and again, then danced with her girlfriend still in her arms, twirling her slowly and swaying from side to side. Weiss kissed her neck repeatedly between giggles of unbridled joy, sighing in bliss.

Finally, after a few minutes of filling the air with laughter and purrs, Blake brought Weiss over to a small table at the side of the room, its top still void of any decorative knick-knacks. She carefully set Weiss down on the sturdy surface, letting the smaller girl's feet dangle several inches off the floor.

Blake slipped her arms down around the girl's waist and leaned in, bending forward to nestle her face into Weiss' collar. Blake shifted until she was in her desired position with one furry ear pressed to her girlfriend's chest.

Weiss' heartbeat was fast and elated, thumping fully against Blake's ear, and the Faunus girl could only pull her closer. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten to hear this lovely sound.

Perhaps it had been a year ago on one of their dates together when Weiss had fallen asleep on her shoulder.

But this was the longest Blake had ever been permitted to listen, and she intended to utilize this time as much as she pleased.

Weiss cradled her girlfriend's head gently, stroking through her long, onyx hair and scratching lightly at her ears. She felt Blake's purr vibrating eagerly against her own chest, rumbling hard enough for Weiss to feel it in her stomach.

She closed her eyes and rested her chin atop Blake's head, though her hands continued to massage her girlfriend's ears and shoulders.

And Blake continued to listen as Weiss' heartbeat gradually slowed until it was set at a consistent pulse. She soon sighed and broke the moments of silence with a murmur.

"I still can't believe this is _real_..."

"I'm having difficulty as well," Weiss admitted. "But it _is_ real, Blake. It really is."

"I don't ever want it to end."

"It won't. We won't let it. Not until we're ready to buy our own house, that is."

Blake chuckled.

"Alright, but for now, the apartment's pretty darn good."

"Agreed."

Silence fell once more. All that filled Weiss' ears was Blake's purr, and all that filled Blake's ears was Weiss' heart.

It would've been easy for them to have remained like that for the rest of the evening.

But a softly-rumbling stomach reminded them of the time, and that neither of them had eaten since before they'd left their parents' houses that morning.

Blake pulled away, content for now in knowing she could listen again whenever she pleased, so long as Weiss was willing to let her.

"Hungry?"

"A bit."

Blake put a hand to her girlfriend's back to support her as Weiss slipped off the table and landed back on the floor, pondering.

"Do you want to order out?" Weiss asked. "There are plenty of delis and restaurants around here."

Blake considered the idea before shaking her head.

"Maybe some other time, if we know we've got some money to spare. But I think it'd be nice to cook dinner together our first night."

Weiss nodded.

"That sounds much better."

"How does casserole sound?"

"Fantastic."

They sauntered into the kitchen and set to work, going through their cabinets and drawers for all of the necessary utensils and ingredients.

They'd cooked together before, but usually in one of their families' kitchens.

But now, this was _their_ kitchen, and theirs alone.

An hour later found them finishing up their meal at the little table, and the pair brought their dishes to the sink to clean together.

By then, the sun was on its way to setting, and the evening was upon them.

But the night was still young.

As they walked out of the kitchen area, Weiss popped the question.

"What should we do?" she wondered. "It's only just past seven, and it's Saturday night. We don't have to go to work tomorrow. Shall we stay up and celebrate a bit more?"

"Well, we haven't started paying for cable yet," Blake recounted. "But I can hook up my laptop and we can watch videos on the big screen. We might even be able to find a movie or two."

"Sounds perfect to me. But let's change first."

They retreated into their bedroom and rummaged around their respective bags for a change of clean sleepwear. Weiss shed her skirt and blouse for a long blue nightgown, and Blake exchanged her high-waisted shorts and shirt for looser shorts and a robe-like top.

Weiss let her hair down, freeing it from the constricting ponytail, and took her hair brush with the intention of bringing it back into the living area.

Blake took a blanket from the bedroom and brought it with her, as the nights were still a bit chilly.

The bottom portion of their couch pulled out to allow them to elevate their legs and lean back against the cushions more as though they were lying in a bed rather than sitting up on a couch.

Weiss set up the couch in that manner as Blake fiddled with her laptop and the wires that would hook it up to the television. They left all the lights off to preserve as much energy as possible, which would later reflect kindly on their bill at the end of the month. They only left one small lamp on to see by.

Once Blake had finished with connecting the cables, she crawled onto the couch with Weiss, slipping her legs beneath the blanket. She immediately pressed close to Weiss, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders as their movie started.

The closest they'd ever had to this before was seeing a film in theaters, but even then there had been the arms and backs of hard plastic chairs to make things uncomfortable, not to mention the straying eyes of other people in the darkness.

But now, there was no stress, no discomfort of being caught or made fun of, no risk of embarrassment.

It showed with how relaxed the both were, how snugly Weiss fit into Blake's side.

She rested her head on Blake's shoulder as they watched, her arms slipping softly around the Faunus girl's front and back beneath the blanket.

Weiss rubbed her palms over Blake's stomach in slow, circular motions, something she'd longed to do for so many years, but had never gotten the chance to do until now. There'd always been the risk of being caught by family members or other people.

Blake and Weiss had both come to the silent but mutual agreement that they preferred their intimate lives to remain entirely private.

Now that they had such privacy, neither was about to hold back.

Blake purred again, releasing a steady sound into the air as she peppered kisses all over the crown of Weiss' head and through her hair.

Weiss cuddled closer still, running her palm first over Blake's sleep-shirt, and then slipping underneath to touch skin to skin directly. Her fingers danced across Blake's navel, then followed over her ribs and sides.

Blake whimpered at the soft contact, sighing as her ears drooped in a display of utmost comfort, her eyes closing as she all but forgot the movie.

It was Weiss' turn to listen to her girlfriend's heart, hearing for herself the effect she was having on Blake. Her pulse dropped quickly into a slow, lazy beat, matching with Weiss' controlled motions.

It was a struggle for Blake to stay awake, and she needed to crack open her eyes to glance at the digital clock beneath the TV.

"Weiss..." she mumbled. "It's only ten... Don't make me fall asleep yet..."

"We've had a long day," Weiss murmured. "Maybe we should sleep early so we can get up tomorrow and start unpacking our things. There's not much we could do tonight even if we were to stay up. And besides..." Here, she stopped rubbing Blake's stomach, gaining her full attention.

"And besides...?" Blake prompted.

Weiss could feel herself blushing as she admitted her wishes.

"I... really want to lie in bed with you."

Blake's ears flicked, and a smile instantly spread across her lips.

She understood. They'd never been allowed to sleep in the same bed together before. The closest they'd ever gotten was a nap on the couch, or the time they'd had a sleepover with Ruby and Yang when they were seniors in high school.

That night, Weiss had fallen asleep first, and Blake had curled up around her girlfriend. But Weiss hadn't been conscious at the time, and had been unable to experience what it was like to fall asleep together.

She wanted that right now more than anything, and Blake wanted it, too.

"Alright," she purred. "Of course we can do that. We don't even have to sleep right away. We can just relax."

Weiss nodded.

"I'd really love that."

"Then let's do it."

Stretching her arms above her head, Blake yawned before adjusting her shirt. Weiss uncurled her legs, and together, the pair slipped off the couch and folded the leg rests down.

Weiss brought the blanket back into their bedroom and turned on the little lamp on the bedside table before retreating to the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth and prepared for bed, Blake unplugged her laptop and shut down all of their appliances, then turned off the living room lamp.

Once Weiss was finished, Blake took her turn in the bathroom, while Weiss grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator in the meantime.

By the time they were both ready, they stood at the doorway of their bedroom together and looked at the bed. They'd bought a new mattress only yesterday, and had put brand new, clean sheets and blankets on it today, just a few hours ago.

Moonlight slipped in through a large window behind the headboard, dyeing the azure top-layer blanket pale blue.

The two girls stood in silence for a moment, illuminated only by the silver and gold lights of the moon and lamp respectively as they shared a curious look.

They were unanimous in asking the question.

"Which side would you like?"

"No, you pick."

"I don't mind. Whichever is fine with me."

They both chuckled and smiled hopelessly.

Weiss ended up selecting the side with the lamp and the bedside table; she tended to be the last to sleep and the first to wake, so she would take the job of shutting off the light. Blake would of course love to read some nights, but the light was strong enough to see from her side; sitting too close to it would've hurt her eyes.

They walked to opposite sides of the bed and pulled down the covers before slipping underneath.

Despite the bit of cold filling the air at this hour, the blankets were heavy and warm.

But even warmer than those was the closeness of one another.

They'd been together for so many years that tight embraces and close proximity was no longer anything to be bashful about, but they still enjoyed it as much as they had the first day they'd kissed.

Weiss shut off the lamp before lying down, knowing that it was best to do it now rather than later. She faced Blake expectantly, not knowing where to go from here, but not particularly caring; whichever direction things took them in, Weiss would gladly follow.

Blake started by opening up her arms, and Weiss instantly slid closer, hugging Blake's torso and burying her face in the side of her neck.

Weiss trailed soft, light kisses over her girlfriend's collar, lips dancing over the flitting pulse in her neck. She kissed Blake's human ears and her cheeks, then her hair and anything else she could reach.

Blake held her close for a long while, until her side started to go a bit numb. She assumed it was the same for Weiss, and so in one motion, she flipped herself onto her back and pulled Weiss on top of her. She locked her arms around the small of Weiss' back and strained up to kiss her nose.

Weiss did the same, leaning down and pecking the bridge of Blake's nose, then the bases and tips of her soft Faunus ears.

Blake reciprocated and kissed her shoulder and neck, rubbing Weiss' back softly and threading fingers through her hair.

Neither took any notice of the time that passed, but it must've been about an hour of shifting positions and cuddling and kissing.

At one point, Weiss pulled Blake on top of her to chase away the chills of the night, and Blake covered her completely, though was sure not to smother her.

After a time, they'd switched again, and Weiss tucked her face into the front of Blake's shoulder.

Their chests moved in time together as they felt each other breathe, hearts thrumming just inches apart.

Blake's purr was consistent throughout the night, usually full and rumbling, but occasionally letting up for a few minutes so she could catch her breath.

They were both just so infatuated with the world that night, enamored with one another even more so than they had been every day for the past eight years combined.

Everything was perfect, and nothing else matter but the girl in each of their arms.

There were even a few tears between them, but they were happy tears, caught by gentle fingers or cleared away by soft lips.

At last, Weiss found herself on her back once more, Blake curled closely at her side. The Faunus girl propped herself up on her elbows for a moment simply to kiss her girlfriend's lips one final time.

"Goodnight, Weiss."

Weiss kissed her cheek sweetly.

"Goodnight, Blake. I love you."

"Love you, too," she purred.

Blake rested her head over Weiss' chest, draping an arm across the smaller girl's stomach and curling their legs together.

Weiss wrapped an arm around Blake's shoulders and pulled the blankets up over them with her free hand. She utilized the actual pillow, while Blake seemed perfectly content to use Weiss as hers.

They closed their eyes, and it was profound when the serene silence finally settled in.

Blake could hear every beat of Weiss' heart so clearly, and it never faded or faltered. She continuously shifted her position for a minute or so until she'd found where it was strongest, and settled there to listen to her lullaby.

Likewise, Weiss could feel Blake's purr in her chest, tickling slightly, the Faunus girl's warmth wreathing around her. She could feel Blake's pulse at her side, but more than anything, she enjoyed sharing her own with Blake.

They breathed together - sometimes in time, and sometimes mismatching. Both of them were aware of every change in the other's condition. Weiss felt the purr gradually fade after a time, and Blake heard the other girl's pulse drop.

As anticipated, Blake fell asleep first, and Weiss could feel her relax entirely. She wasn't about to let Blake be alone anywhere tonight, not even in her sleep, so Weiss was sure to follow shortly after her.

It had been a hectic week, where all of their years of romance had finally come together to bear fruit with the start of this new life together.

They had a lot ahead of them, things they'd like and things they wouldn't like, things that would bring them closer, and things that would test them.

But now wasn't the time to think about those things.

Now was the time to rest and enjoy the warmth, the silence, and each other.

No matter what hardships may arise in the future, or even if things happened years from now, neither would ever forget the first night they spent together here in each other's arms.

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 **A/N: There will be 5 total chapters to this fic, so stay tuned for updates!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	2. Setting Schedules

**Thanks for the support on chapter 1!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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Chapter 2. Setting Schedules

Their first night together turned into their first morning together.

When Weiss came to, she was confused for a few seconds as to where she was until everything came rushing back to her.

Upon opening her eyes, she found herself in their new apartment, the wooden floorboards and pale walls of the room dyed golden with early-morning sunlight.

A glance at the little alarm clock on the nearby table told her it was only 8AM. Typically, she would've pushed herself up out of bed to greet the new day.

But just this once she opted to stay in bed.

Blake was curled up at her side, enveloping Weiss in a loose embrace.

Weiss shifted her arm that had grown numb in the night, waiting for the blood to flow properly once more. She pressed that arm to Blake's back beneath the covers and started stroking fingers through her hair. Her eyes were trained on the ceiling for a while, her heart soaring with elation at the new environment, the new life.

Even if every Sunday morning to follow was exactly the same as this one, Weiss knew she'd never get tired of it.

Blake was snoring very faintly, a bit of a wheeze to her breath as her ears flicked periodically. Weiss was continuously pulling her closer and closer, cuddling her sleeping girlfriend with care.

She closed her eyes and dozed beneath the sunlight, enjoying the silence. All she could hear was Blake's gentle breathing, and the occasional bark of a dog outside.

After a short nap, Weiss shifted Blake's and her own positions, carefully lying the Faunus girl on her back so Weiss could hold her instead. She rested her head over Blake's collar until she'd located her pulse. Closing her eyes, Weiss listened to Blake's heart, realizing she'd never been able to do anything like this before in the eight years they'd been together. It was soft and slow, but a lovely sound.

And it was all hers.

She listened for a little while, dozing once again, enjoying the feeling of freedom in not having to go anywhere today.

But most of all, she enjoyed her closeness to Blake without risk of being caught or potentially scolded.

Even on mornings like tomorrow when they'd both have to wake up early and head to work, Weiss knew the two of them would gladly do as much, fueled by the desire to make a bit of money to support one another, and then come back home together at the end of the day.

For nearly an hour, Weiss rested with Blake, cuddling her and humming happily all the while.

The only indication of when Blake finally woke was the addition of the choppy purr that crept up the back of her throat. Weiss noticed it and opened her eyes, propping herself up to look down at the Faunus girl's face.

"Good morning," she said fondly.

Blake opened her eyes and purred a little harder at the sight of Weiss. She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and pulled her closer.

"Morning," she mumbled into the shell of her ear. "How'd you sleep?"

"Better than ever before in my life. And that's no exaggeration."

"It was the same for me." Blake sighed happily in just remembering.

"Well..." Weiss cleared her throat pointedly. "It _is_ Sunday, you know. We don't _have_ to get out of bed just yet. All we've got to do today is unpack, so it's not like we're under obligation to move or anything."

"That's good," Blake purred. "Because I don't want to. You're too comfortable, Weiss." She ran her hands up and down the girl's back, playing with her hip-length white hair.

In exchange for the mini massage, Weiss dipped her face down to trail lazy, tired kisses all over Blake's head and ears.

Everything was slow that morning – their hearts, their ministrations, their kisses – everything. They were determined to maintain an atmosphere free of urgency or stress, intent to make the morning of their first full day alone together the best it could possibly be.

Weiss lost track of how many kisses they'd shared in only the next ten minutes, but she estimated it'd been at least a hundred.

Blake rolled them over and took her turn pampering Weiss, kissing her frazzled bangs and smoothing out her hair for her. One hand cupped the smaller girl's cheek as Blake kissed her, and her other hand slipped down to Weiss' stomach.

For another half hour, they went back and forth giving massages and rubbing stomachs and backs that were sore from moving boxes all day yesterday.

After eight years together, Blake didn't think there'd be too much more she could discover about Weiss. But just in that short time frame that morning, she discovered a little tidbit she'd never known before.

While Blake herself preferred getting her stomach rubbed to calm down, Weiss was more responsive to getting her chest and collar tended to.

Once Blake had discovered her girlfriend's preferred sweet spot, she was sure to trace her palm in slow circles just beneath Weiss' throat. The Faunus girl chuckled when she realized Weiss had very nearly fallen back asleep after a few minutes of that treatment.

But a glance at the time told her it was almost ten, and Blake felt they'd whittled enough of the morning away.

"Weiss," she murmured. "Let's make breakfast. How does that sound?"

"Mmmhm..."

Blake could tell she was trying to not let herself fall asleep. With an amused chuckle, she nuzzled Weiss' chest.

"Come on."

"Mmn... you're right. Absolutely right," Weiss agreed, pushing herself up. "We should eat soon."

Blake kept them in bed for just another minute, wrestling the blankets aside as she pulled Weiss into her lap to share another kiss.

This was their first time sharing morning kisses like this, lips coming together with one another's before coming into contact with anything else. But the stale morning breath was what got to Weiss, and when she pulled away, she blushed sheepishly.

"I think I'd like to brush my teeth."

"You're fine," Blake cooed. "But alright. Let's get moving."

The two girls stretched and slipped off their respective sides of the bed. Weiss headed into the bathroom while Blake went to the kitchen to begin breakfast.

They preserved their electricity again, once more going by the bright sunlight for guidance. They only used the stove and running water when necessary, but would try to avoid anything else unnecessarily.

Once Weiss joined her in the kitchen, they proceeded to prepare eggs and toast.

The couple then enjoyed their first breakfast together at the little double-chaired table in the far corner of the room, sharing comments and compliments about the food.

But both realized that once the talking had died down, it was a bit quieter than expected. Neither disliked the silence – quite the opposite in fact. It was just that in this particular situation with so much to do ahead of them, they felt as though they should be doing something right now rather than sitting in silence.

Therefore, when Weiss took the finished dishes to the sink for washing, and Blake headed into their living area to locate the small, antique radio she'd brought from home. She fiddled with the knobs until she'd found a station playing classical music, her ears lifting in delight.

When Weiss entered the room, Blake stood to offer a chivalrous bow as she held out her hand.

"May I have this dance, miss?"

Flattered both in act and in truth, Weiss put one hand to her chest while reaching out the other.

"You most certainly may."

Blake straightened her posture and pulled Weiss in, pressing them chest-to-chest. Weiss rested her free hand on Blake's shoulder, feeling her girlfriend's hand on her hip in turn.

Having just eaten, they went slowly, stepping in time to the music in a sort of waltz. Blake tried to start out somewhat professional, but as the minutes ticked on, they spiraled down into simply doing whatever they pleased; this _was_ their place now, after all.

They twirled and spun, hair and nightgowns fluttering behind them as their bodies moved in carefree tandem. The faster steps soon trickled down into slower movements, until they were standing and swaying in place once again.

Weiss rested her head against Blake's shoulder as they wound down from the movements, and Blake held her close. Once their second song had come to an end, the Faunus girl stepped back with a suggestion.

"Should we start unpacking?"

Weiss let go of her hand a little reluctantly, but nodded.

"We should get to that, yes."

They stayed in their sleepwear, not having any plans to venture outside today, or at the very least, not right away.

They spent the morning and early afternoon hours unpacking their things and adding little personal touches to make the apartment feel more like home.

Little knick-knacks and statues were set up on the cabinets and shelves, favorite paintings were hung on the walls, clothes were put into the dresser drawers. Whenever unsure of an addition to or change in the interior design, they consulted one another to get a second opinion.

Weiss' favorite set of trinkets were two small matching book statues that stood up. One had black pages and white words, and the other was reversed in color.

They respectively read: "All you need is love" and "Love is all you need".

She put those on the cabinet in the living area, on the same spot where Blake had set her down yesterday to hold her closely.

Blake's favorite was also a set – a set of white and black cats in the form of salt and pepper shakers, respectively. She set those on the kitchen table where they'd share every meal together.

After a few hours, they finished setting up their new home, rearranging a few pieces of furniture here and there as well.

All the while, they didn't add anything to their end-of-the-month rent bill other than a bit of electricity from the radio and stove, and a bit of running water. As Weiss' father had said, frugality would be their saving grace in these early months, until they were both bringing home a steady income and would know how to balance their finances accordingly.

Once finished, they decided to change out of their pajamas after all and go for another walk around the neighborhood. Not much had changed since yesterday, but when Weiss squinted, she could see tiny buds blossoming in the grass and on the branches of bushes.

They chatted with whichever neighbors were out and about, and started to commit a map of the area to memory. There was a nearby convenience store down the road that they could reach on-foot if necessary, but the nearest grocery store would need to be driven to.

Even so, they decided to venture to the convenience store that afternoon to get a feel for the path they'd have to walk. The cheaply-priced snacks and soups were blessings for them, and they ended up taking two entire bags of food back home that had cost them an impressively small amount of money.

By the time they'd returned home and put all the food away in the pantries and fridge, it was time for dinner. Once more, they prepared and enjoyed it together, cleaned the dishes together, and enjoyed their evening side by side, all in between frequently-shared kisses throughout the hours.

After changing back into sleepwear once again, they curled up on the couch to watch another movie from Blake's laptop hooked up to the TV. But they couldn't stay up very late tonight, and called it a night just before eleven.

As they went into the bedroom, guided by only a faint lamplight, Weiss was already fretting about the coming day.

"We should wake early," she was muttering to herself. "I've set three alarms on my phone as well as put the alarm clock on. We've _got_ to wake up on time."

"Hey, calm down," Blake soothed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We'll be fine, Weiss. Four alarms is more than enough, and knowing you, you'll be up on the first one anyway. Don't stress out about it. We've discussed all this before, remember? It's only a ten-minute drive from here to work, and even with traffic, it shouldn't take more than twenty."

Once she'd had her memory refreshed about these facts, Weiss relaxed a bit.

She worked as a secretary at a small local business, filing papers, answering phone calls, and directing confused patrons on where to go. It paid a fairly good salary for someone of her age in such a position, and the work was simple enough for someone of her hardworking nature, so Weiss had held the position for over a year now.

Blake worked at a library not too far away, a job she'd had since high school and had moved up the ranks in over the years. She was now a head librarian, and one of the best-paid positions in the profession.

Their places of employment happened to be within just five minutes' walking distance of the other, and only a minute-long car ride.

Blake patted her girlfriend's shoulder once more to reassure her.

"Don't worry, Weiss. We'll be sure to make it on time. We're actually closer to our jobs now than we were living back at our parents' houses. We were sure to be very strategic about getting an apartment, remember?"

"Right," Weiss nodded. "You're right. I guess I'm just a bit jittery. Excited, but... still a bit anxious."

"Then let's head to bed and calm down a little."

She took Weiss' hand and guided her over to the bed, climbing on top and coaxing Weiss up as well. They slid beneath the blankets, and Blake leaned over to turn off the lamp this time before she set to work on helping Weiss relax.

It started with more kisses, murmurs of encouragement and reassurance. Then, she started playing with hair, and rubbing Weiss' chest.

Within moments, Weiss couldn't even remember what she'd been upset about in the first place.

"Mm, Blake," she sighed. "That's... more than enough. Let me give you a turn..."

"Not tonight," Blake refused her. "I know you're gonna be stressed about work tomorrow, but we'll be fine, Weiss. Since we're closer now, we can actually sleep in a bit, if you think about it." She dipped her head and kissed Weiss' cheek. "Rest now. We'll deal with tomorrow when it comes, and it'll be fine."

With a sigh, Weiss admitted defeat and allowed her eyelids to fall shut.

Blake pressed kisses all around her face and hairline, listening to Weiss' breathing until it had deepened and slowed.

Once certain Weiss was resting, Blake curled up beside her and closed her eyes in anticipation for tomorrow.

* * *

As expected, Weiss woke early the next morning, even before the first of her four alarms.

Her internal clock was more active than physical ones, even when she slept.

She roused Blake gently before slipping out of bed to start on breakfast, multi-tasking to ensure everything got done within a timely manner.

Blake rolled over to find the space in bed beside her warm but vacant, pouting to herself with a tired huff when she realized Weiss had left her for food.

By the time the Faunus girl had finished dozing for a few more minutes, stretched, and stumbled into the kitchen, Weiss was already putting plates of omelets onto the table.

"Eat up, Blake," she encouraged her. "It's Monday. We've got to get going soon."

As Blake sat down on her side of the table, the side where the black cat pepper-shaker sat, she glanced at the clock on the microwave.

"Weiss, it's only 7:30. Neither of us have to check in until 9, you know."

"I know!" Weiss huffed, cutting into her food from behind the white cat. "But we've got to make sure the traffic is manageable and we've still got to change clothes and freshen up as well!"

"That'll take ten minutes,"

"Either way, just eat!" Weiss hadn't meant to be curt with her, and Blake understood as much. Still, Weiss instantly lowered her voice and apologized. "Sorry. Even though you told me to relax, I'm still anxious."

"It's okay. I get it," Blake reassured. "I think I might be a little too lax about all of this. Sorry that you're being appropriately stressed for the both of us."

"Still, I'll try to take it slow," Weiss promised.

She did her best to cut and chew her food at a normal speed, though it was difficult not to glance at the clock every twenty seconds to make sure she wasn't going to be a second late.

Blake moved her chair and plate over to Weiss' side of the table, leaning against her by means of comfort and support. Her closeness served its purpose in letting Weiss' stiff shoulders drain of tension, and at last the pair was able to enjoy their breakfast at a leisurely pace.

As Weiss headed into the bathroom to change, Blake prepared bagged lunches for the both of them, making a tuna sandwich for herself and a vegetable salad for Weiss. She slipped in a few miniature muffins and brownies as well, then filled Weiss' canteen with water and her own with tea.

By the time the bathroom door had reopened, Blake had finished with her tasks and turned around to see her girlfriend.

Weiss' job called for formal attire, hence the long black dress pants. A white button-up shirt was tucked into those, and a black blazer that had yet to be buttoned covered that.

Weiss was presently fiddling with her tresses, a hair tie in her mouth as both hands scrambled to catch all of her ivory locks into a ponytail to make it neat.

Blake was still impressed and smitten by the sight of Weiss in such clothes, and couldn't help but let out a husky purr as she closed the distance between them.

"Let me help."

She reached out to fasten the buttons for Weiss, using the closeness as an excuse to steal a little kiss to her cheek.

Weiss blushed as she removed the hair tie from her teeth and secured her hair with it.

"Thank you," she murmured. "Now you should get changed as well. I'll brush your hair for you when you've finished."

Blake emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later dressed in somewhat more casual clothes, a long dark skirt and a purple blouse. She'd often tie her hair up into a bun just for the sake of looking professional, but for now it was down, her Faunus ears perked tall.

Weiss had her take a seat on one of the kitchen chairs as she retrieved Blake's brush and set to work on smoothing out her long, thick hair. Weiss was mindful of her girlfriend's ears that flicked and swiveled with delight, a purr already present in Blake's chest at the ticklish pressure of the bristles against her back. She was glad Weiss was relaxed enough to take a breather and not mind the clock.

It was only 8 now, so they had plenty of time to spare.

Weiss finished combing her girlfriend's hair before long, and then put the brush aside. She then leaned forward against the back of the chair, resting her chin atop Blake's head between her ears, wrapping her arms around the Faunus girl's collar.

"Ready to start the day?" she wondered.

"Absolutely. I'll come to visit you during my lunch break."

"I'll do the same."

Blake's break was an hour earlier than Weiss', and the latter knew the former would be hungry by the time they arrived home. Weiss was determined to make a nice meal for supper that night.

At last, the two of them decided it was time to get going. They put on their formal black shoes, and Weiss grabbed her car keys as Blake tied her hair up.

They both had cars out in the parking lot, but they'd agreed on methods of transportation in advance. They'd each take turns driving the both of them weekly in order to preserve gas. And since they worked within a few minutes from one another, whomever was driving that week would drop the other off first before going to her own job. Likewise, come time to go home, the driver would pick her partner up before taking them back to the apartment.

Blake ensured none of the lights or appliances had been left on before she followed Weiss down the stairs and out into the sunny morning.

They walked to Weiss' silver car, and once inside buckled their seat belts and turned on the radio.

Despite Weiss' anxieties, it really did only take about ten minutes to drive to the section of town where they both worked. She parked outside of the library and apologized to Blake for having her be half an hour early.

"Don't apologize," Blake chuckled. "I can still get in." She unbuckled herself and leaned over towards her girlfriend for a kiss. "I'll see you at 5."

"Have a good day," Weiss said.

With a nod, Blake took her lunch with her and stepped out of the car.

Weiss waited until she'd reached the doors of the building and successfully gotten inside before she drove the extra minute to her own building.

Blake's morning was fairly easygoing, as they typically were. She greeted the other librarians and workers, more than half of which were Faunus like herself.

The early-morning visitors tended to be older folk who always needed assistance in finding a certain section before sitting down on the sofas to read at their leisure. As the day went on, younger people and students started filing inside in search of research materials and to use the computers.

Blake's job consisted of tending to whatever visitors she could, organizing books, working the desk to checkout books, and to oversee her underlings. It sounded like a lot, but in reality was a rather laid-back field of work.

It was quiet save from a few hushed voices, and the silence was comfortable for Blake's sensitive ears.

She loved her job very much, but knew Weiss wasn't always as lucky.

In the past, her girlfriend had texted or called her many times to talk away the stresses of her own workday.

From the minute Weiss walked in, she had piles of paperwork to take care of. First and foremost, she needed to greet her boss and coworkers, and then start on the files, in addition to directing customers to the correct offices or rooms.

Weiss' job required her to be highly focused and attentive at all times; one misread or overlooked word could potentially have her putting a document in the wrong place, which would end up causing all sorts of issues because of her mistake.

She needed to be efficient, fast, and comprehensive. If someone asked her a question, she needed to have a swift and specific answer within seconds.

In the year since she'd gotten this job, she'd gotten her fair share of scoldings from her boss, but she'd much rather be yelled at than receive the silent, disappointed scowls, grunts, and looks of disapproval.

Luckily, nothing bad had happened to her within the past three months or so, and she was beginning to become more confident in her work.

She'd been worried that the stress of moving into the apartment would effect her performance at work on her first day back, so it was a bit of a struggle to keep herself focused that day.

But when Blake came by at the usual lunch hour, Weiss took a break for a moment to chat with her. It was the first smile she'd shown all day since arriving at the office, aside from the plastered ones she given to passing patrons and coworkers.

Blake leaned over her girlfriend's desk for a kiss, sure to do so only when there was no one else present.

"How's your day going?" she wondered.

"Same as ever," Weiss replied. "And yours?"

"Same as ever."

And yet, they could both agree that there was something immensely more exciting about today.

In the past, they would visit one another at work during their lunch breaks just like this, but they'd always take their separate paths in going home.

But tonight... tonight, they'd be going home _together_.

It was that thought that got them through the rest of the day.

During Weiss' lunch break, she was permitted to walk to the library to visit Blake, and opted to eat her bagged lunch at one of the little tables there. Weiss' afternoons tended to be a bit more easygoing, and today held true to that as well.

At the end of the day when she was dismissed, she wished her boss farewell, and he even smiled at her and said she'd done a fine job today. Fueled by her boss' praise and the thought of going back to the apartment with Blake, Weiss hurried out to her car and drove to the library to pick up her waiting girlfriend.

They chatted excitedly on the way home, and Blake was glad to see that – although perhaps a bit exhausted – Weiss seemed to be very happy.

They arrived at the complex and headed up the stairs for home, where they spared a moment to breathe again.

Blake wrapped Weiss in her arms and let the girl's hair down for her, releasing it from the restricting ponytail. She then unbuttoned Weiss' blazer and slipped it off, leaving her in just the white dress shirt and slimming pants.

As thanks, Weiss undid Blake's bun and let her long, onyx hair run free as well, petting through it gingerly. She kissed Blake on the nose and petted her ears until she'd elicited a purr.

Weiss started on dinner, which she'd decided that morning would be a tuna melt just for Blake. The second the Faunus girl caught onto the enticing scent, she gasped with joy and hugged Weiss excitedly.

As Weiss worked on supper, Blake took the liberty upon herself to vacuum the little rugs and carpets set up around the rooms, cleaning the countertops and shelves.

Before long, they'd sat down for dinner together. Blake purred all the while as she ate, and Weiss couldn't stop smiling.

The evening routine seemed to have already been set – dishes, pajamas, movie, bedtime.

The quality time they spent together was essential, as the hour of massages and embraces were the only cures to the ailments and stress brought upon by the day of work for each of them.

Blake gave her massage to Weiss first, kneading her back and purring soothingly to help her relax.

If today had been an example of how the future days would work, both were happy to accept that future. Every morning, they'd wake side by side, and every night, they'd fall asleep just the same. Just thinking about it made their smiles impossible to wipe away.

Blake continued with her massage for Weiss, who was a very quiet patient, save for one tiny moan that slipped free when Blake hit a particularly good spot. She couldn't stop herself from chuckling as Weiss buried her face into the pillow.

"Well, that was quite cute," Blake teased, kissing the nap of her girlfriend's neck.

Weiss mumbled a pouting, "Hush..."

Blake gave a laugh and continued, running her hands all up and down Weiss' back, pressing into the knotted muscles. Weiss breathed evenly beneath her touch, staying still as she dozed for a bit.

Once Blake was satisfied that Weiss was thoroughly relaxed, she laid down on her stomach beside her.

Weiss sat up to begin on her massage as thanks, leaning her weight onto her palms as her fingers and knuckles dug down beneath Blake's shoulder blades. She was determined to figure out what could make Blake squeak, but despite her efforts found nothing worked.

With a huff of defeat, Weiss soon flopped down beside her and pulled Blake in.

It was by accident in scratching her ears that Weiss heard the little, accidental moan, and it was her turn to laugh and tease.

That night, they'd learned something new about one another's sweet spots and how to treat those appropriately.

After Weiss turned off the lamp, the two girls kissed goodnight and closed their eyes.

Tomorrow didn't seem so intimidating anymore.

* * *

 **A/N: A bit more settling down for these two~**

 **If you like my work, please support me on as Kiria Alice!**

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	3. High Tensions And Tears

**Thanks for reading! It's not a popular fic, so whoever is reading just know I appreciate it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 3. High Tensions And Tears

As the days turned to weeks, Weiss and Blake began getting used to their new routine and lives together.

They took turns driving one another to and from work every week just as they'd initially planned, and stopped by one another's buildings for lunchtime.

The evenings were typically spent in the same way as what they'd established early on; making dinner together, watching a movie or show, and then curling up for bed. On some nights when they both still had energy left over from the workday, they would go for a walk around the neighborhood or to the convenience store.

On weekends, they tended to stay home together to do housework and cleaning, and would drive to the mall or the local park to enjoy themselves.

They each called their parents at least once a week to ensure they were doing fine.

When their first month's bills were delivered, the two girls were impressed by the relatively low numbers. Their avoidance of television and leaving off lights when they weren't necessary had saved them a lot in the long run, and that night they ordered dinner from a nearby restaurant to celebrate.

In this manner, their first month living together passed by as a major success.

Now, when they went on their walks together, they could see the fully-blossomed petals of flowers in bushes and buds on trees. Flocks of small birds littered the lawns as they plucked worms out of the earth, and the warmer weather indicated spring had finally arrived.

For a month and a half, things were looking up for Weiss and Blake.

There were nights when Blake came home a bit exhausted after having to give an extensive presentation or tour to a group of local students about the library's history and resources.

And there were nights when Weiss needed to stay a few hours late in order to tackle an additional assignment or two.

Whenever that happened, Blake would drive the car home and prepare dinner in the meantime for her girlfriend. She'd wait until Weiss called her, then go to pick her up.

They'd often deal with their exhaustion with a hot shower and a night of relaxation, or simply by going to bed early.

But the massages and close contact were nightly ordeals, and no matter how flimsy or short-lived the former might be, the latter was always long-lasting and comfortable.

They loved to play with one another's hair, as both girls left it down when they slept.

Weiss preferred to twirl little braids in Blake's, while the Faunus girl simply liked to stroke her fingers repeatedly through Weiss'.

She'd been brushing and playing with Weiss' hair for eight years now, but only in recent months had she gotten the liberty to do that every day.

Which was why Blake was appalled at what her girlfriend had to say when they both walked up the stairs after work that evening.

Weiss had been oddly silent all the car ride home, and Blake had merely assumed she was exhausted. But when she finally spoke, Blake realized it was due to something else entirely.

"I think I'd like to cut my hair," Weiss said.

Blake stopped in her tracks on her way to the kitchen, turning back to look at her in shock.

"What? I mean... why? This kinda came out of nowhere."

"Well..." Weiss sighed as she reached up and released her tresses from the ponytail. "It's just... my boss found a hair sticking to one of his papers and it was very clearly mine. He strongly recommended I have it cut."

Blake's ears flattened.

"So what? It's _your_ hair, not his! You don't have to do what he says."

"I know..." Weiss mumbled. "But I don't want to risk making him upset with me. I _need_ to keep this job, Blake. _Especially_ now. You understand, don't you?"

Blake bit her lip.

"...Of course I do. But I just... I don't think you should cut it if _you_ don't want to. You look fine as you are – gorgeous. But... if _you_ really want to cut it, I'll support you, and I know you'll look beautiful either way."

"Thank you, Blake."

They decided to do it that night after dinner.

After they'd changed into their pajamas, Blake led Weiss to the bathroom and had her sit on the toilet cover. Blake retrieved her girlfriend's brush and started combing through those long, luscious tresses she'd come to know and love over the years.

Weiss had said she wanted her hair cut to her shoulders, and Blake wasn't able to imagine her like that. It would surely take some getting used to, but this was Weiss' decision.

Blake took a pair of scissors from one of the drawers, but Weiss' hair was so long, she needed her to stand up in order to begin cutting. Blake took her time and went slowly, inch by inch from the tips, and working her way up.

However, Weiss stopped her when she'd only reached the small of her back. It turned out she couldn't go through with this after all. Weiss had invested far too much time and effort into her hair over the past twenty-four years, and she wasn't about to get rid of it all for her disgruntled boss.

Plus, she couldn't imagine not getting to feel Blake's hands running through it any longer.

Blake was glad she decided not to cut it short. She put the scissors away and hugged her girlfriend from behind to let Weiss know she accepted her choice.

From then on, Weiss tied her hair in a bun for work, another appearance Blake would have to get used to, but it looked rather cute on Weiss. It became Blake's favorite thing to free Weiss' long hair from that bun every evening after work, letting her alabaster locks breathe once more.

In bed at night, she played with Weiss' hair more than usual, relishing its texture and softness.

It was as she lay in bed with Blake purring loudly and stroking through her hair when Weiss realized something. Cutting her own hair normally would have been her decision alone and would have affected herself above all others.

But now that she was living together with Blake, she needed to consider how her Faunus girlfriend would feel about any drastic changes, be it around the apartment, at work, or even about her own appearance.

That wasn't to say she was restricted from making any decision if Blake didn't want her to, but she would try to take Blake's feelings into consideration just as much as she did her own from now on.

She discussed as much with Blake that night, and Blake reassured she understood what Weiss meant, and then agreed to do the same for her.

After that little incident, playing with one another's hair more often became a subconscious decision that neither was opposed to.

* * *

A few weeks later, they received their second monthly bill to find their expenses were just about the same as they had been the first month. Perhaps a little high just because they'd watched two movies instead of just one some nights and thus used a bit more electricity.

But it was nothing they couldn't handle.

The spare money went towards groceries and other necessities like dry cleaning, and whatever was left over went into their individual savings accounts.

Spring was in full bloom by the beginning of the following month, and the two girls both enjoyed a joint vacation day, giving them a three-day weekend to relax and unwind.

They de-stressed by playing video games or doing puzzles together, by dancing and by going for walks. They made one another's favorite dishes for dinner and skipped the movie that night to have a bit of fun of their own in the bedroom.

Aside from the usual stress they experienced at their workplaces, the two girls were very content and still excited about their new lives together.

Perhaps they were both still a bit too blissfully innocent at this point, just as their parents had feared.

* * *

Midway through that month, they had their first fight.

It was a combination of a lot of different things all tussled together at exactly the wrong time.

Both had been particularly exhausted from work the past few days.

Blake had endured three days of continuous lecturing and giving presentations to the youth of the town about the workings of the library.

Weiss was getting more and more paperwork to complete within a shortened amount of time, and her boss was constantly hounding her about being more efficient in getting it done.

That stress, piled on top of the fact that she hadn't slept well at all last night, resulted in Weiss' mishap the following morning.

Blake had already gone out to start the car, as it was her week to drive, leaving Weiss inside for a minute. The white-haired girl had grabbed her lunch bag and simply ran out to the car right away.

Upon their return home that Friday afternoon, Blake was planning out tonight's movie in her mind for the start of the weekend.

As they walked up the stairs, Blake began untying Weiss' bun for her as per usual when the Faunus girl noticed the awkward lighting in the apartment. She rushed into the bathroom to find the light had been left on, and with a groan of exasperation slapped the switch off.

"Weiss!" she yelled. "You forgot to turn off the light! This has been on _all day!_ Do you _know_ how much this is going to cost us at the end of the month?"

She stomped back into the living area where a very confused and startled Weiss was standing. The smaller girl wiped her eyes, taken aback by Blake's uncharacteristic vehemence, the exhaustion of the day dwindling away only to be replaced by an even worse kind of discomfort.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I was just rushing out and I must've missed it. I didn't want us to be late for work, so-"

"Weiss, I've _told_ you a million times! We're _not_ going to be late for work! That's just _you_ trying to stress us both out more by constantly saying it. Why can't you just _trust_ me for once?"

"I _do_ trust you!" Weiss cried defensively. "I was just tired, Blake! I've been getting a lot more work than usual lately, and I-"

"Oh, boo-hoo," Blake snapped cruelly. "Well guess what, Weiss? _I've_ been getting a lot of work, too. Do you see me leaving the oven on? No. You're _supposed_ to do work at your job, you know. That's what it's for."

"Blake, it was just an honest mistake-"

"Yeah, one that's going to cost us a fortune at the end of the month."

"It won't-"

"Weiss, just- just stop talking, alright? Just shut up."

And normally, Weiss would've fought.

Normally, she'd argue and yell back and give the other person a piece of her mind.

But not with Blake. She just _couldn't_ fight with Blake. She didn't want to.

So all she could do was clamp her trembling lips shut and run off into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Blake snorted and stormed over to the couch, sitting down heavily as she dropped her head into her hands.

"Great. Just great..." she muttered. "So much for our savings..."

She was so angry at Weiss for this, enough so that she was willing to sleep here on the couch tonight. She didn't think she'd ever gotten this angry about something before, but there had been several big contributing factors to take into account.

The evening sunlight was still casting plenty of light in through the windows, hitting her back as warmth seeped into her dark hair.

After a few minutes, the anger started to ebb away, and Blake calmed herself.

And then it started to sink in – what she'd done.

In the silence of the apartment, she could hear Weiss' muffled sobs from the other side of the bedroom door.

Slowly, her ears lifted up, only to flatten again seconds later. A sickening guilt twisted through her stomach, knotting itself in place and expanding with every passing second.

"Oh god..." she wheezed. _What have I done...?_

She'd let everything get the better of her, and she'd taken it all out on Weiss for a simple mistake Blake could've just as easily made herself.

And she knew that if _she'd_ been the one to leave a light on, Weiss _never_ would have yelled at her for it. Perhaps a huff here or there or a remark about how they'd need to skip movies for the next few nights to compensate, but she'd never yell at Blake over something so trivial.

But Blake had.

And now Weiss was _crying_.

The first tears either of them had shed on these floors that hadn't been out of joy.

Blake felt horribly numb. She longed to get up and go to Weiss, but feared her girlfriend's rejection. She didn't know if it would be best to leave her alone for now, or perhaps even for the rest of the night.

But when she thought ahead to the awkwardly-silent morning full of uncomfortable mumbles and nervous glances at one another...

Blake couldn't accept that. She didn't want this to pass on overnight until tomorrow, because Blake knew there'd be nothing she could do in the morning to try and make things right again.

She didn't want her minutes of discombobulation and misplaced rage to extend any longer than the minutes they already had.

Slowly, she stood from the couch and stepped out of her shoes, still dressed in her skirt and blouse from the day at the library. Each creaking step across the wooden floorboards sounded far too loud, and her ears flinched every time.

With slouched shoulders, she passed by the little decorative black-and-white books on the shelf, whose important messages she'd forgotten in her moment of intense emotion.

She reached the bedroom door, where the sounds of weeping made her ears hurt even more. Quietly, Blake rapped her knuckles against the door, and a broken voice tumbled out past her lips.

"Weiss...?"

There was no response. Either Weiss hadn't heard her past the sounds of her own sobbing, or she didn't care for whatever Blake wanted to do or say.

The smallest benison was that the door had been left unlocked. Weiss had likely been too distraught to think to lock it after rushing in.

Blake turned the knob and stepped inside the bedroom, finding it dyed in golds and oranges from the sunlight.

Weiss lay curled up on her side in the center of the bed, her hair that Blake had let down for her just before the argument pooling out in an ivory lake behind her. Her face was turned into the pillow that her hands clutched at weakly, her entire body shaking and convulsing with little hiccups.

Blake wasn't sure if her girlfriend was aware of her presence in the room now, or if Weiss simply didn't care.

At the very least, Weiss hadn't jolted upright and looked at her fearfully; if something like that had happened, or Weiss had told her to leave her alone, Blake felt she might've left the apartment to spend the night outside.

But so far, she could detect no fear in Weiss' body language – only sadness and enervation. It was hardly better, but not as bad as it could've been.

Blake's feet padded quietly across the floor until she was at her side of the bed, where Weiss' back was turned to her. She didn't know what to do from here, so she opted for sitting on the edge of the mattress first.

"Weiss...?"

Her own eyes were already stinging with frustrated tears, her sinuses burning and vision blurring. Reaching out a hand, she touched two fingers to Weiss' hair, applying a feather-light pressure in order to touch her back, to let Weiss know she was here.

She could feel her trembling, and if that was any indication as to how loud those sobs would be if Weiss were to lift her face from the pillow, Blake was already hating herself infinitely.

But again, Weiss hadn't pulled away from her – because she was too distraught or didn't care, once more Blake didn't know. But that gave her the motivation to keep talking, as pathetic as she may have sounded.

"Weiss... I'm sorry. I'm so, _so_ sorry... I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I just... I don't know. Everything just piled up all at once and I... I lashed out at you because you were the first thing I saw. You're always right there beside me, and I wouldn't want it any other way. But sometimes when I can't control myself... I'll use you as the outlet, because you're so close. I'm sorry, Weiss. I don't want to..."

She cut herself off, tears already overflowing down her cheeks in warm rivulets. There was salt in her mouth, bitterness in her eyes, and guilt in every fiber of her being.

Weiss was still crying and hadn't moved an inch, and Blake was compelled to keep going.

"Weiss... I didn't mean any of th-those things. I just... I was upset and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I wasn't thinking. I said some awful things, but I just want you to know I didn't _mean_ them. I'm sorry for yelling. I don't... I don't ever want to do that again. I _won't_ let it happen again. I'm sorry I... I hurt you. _I'm sorry._.."

She bowed her head, letting the tears drip down continuously onto the blankets.

The hand at Weiss' back had curled into a loose fist, clinging to the strands of hair until they were flattened into a crumpled mess. Blake released them, petting her fingers over that portion of Weiss' hair as though in apology.

The minutes passed, and Weiss' broken whimpers continued to fill the air, ringing through Blake's ears and striking her heart like gunshots every time.

Blake cried too, wiping her sleeve over her eyes and sniffling deeply. Eventually, she was starting to think Weiss would be better off without her here right now.

A few minutes later, Blake retracted her hand from its place on Weiss' back and moved toward the edge of the bed.

"I'll leave," she mumbled. "I'll sleep on the couch tonight, okay? If you... if you need anything... I'll be there. But it's fine if you don't want to see me. I understand."

She slipped her legs over the edge of the bed, turning her back on Weiss.

But just before her toes could touch the floor, she heard movement from behind her.

"Wait..."

Small hands reached out to clutch the back of Blake's shirt. She looked over her shoulder to find Weiss had rolled to face her, crystal-blue eyes drowning with tears, dampness all down her face. Her formal clothes were ruffled and her hair was in a bit of a disarray, but Blake could only look into her eyes.

A fresh, poignant wave of guilt surged up within her belly, knotting tightly, and Blake felt as though she might be nauseous. She turned around and released a withering sigh.

"Weiss, I'm- …I'm _sorry_..."

"I know..." she sniffled. "You've... already said as much. I'm sorry too, Blake."

The Faunus girl turned back around to face her, shaking her head as she moved closer to the girl.

"No, you don't have to be, Weiss. I'm the one who-"

"I left the light on," Weiss said. "That was my mistake. And you're right, it'll cost us. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Blake pleaded. She reached out to find Weiss' hands and squeezed them, leaning down a little closer. "We'll just skip the movies for a few nights, that's all. We'll just do the puzzles instead. It was such a simple solution, but I couldn't even think clearly at the time to consider it. All I could do was yell at you. I don't ever- _ever_ want to let myself get that way ever again."

"It's alright..." Weiss murmured.

"No, it's not."

"It is," the white-haired girl insisted. "I was being selfish. I know you've been tired too, but I made it all about myself. I didn't consider how stressed you were; I was only thinking about myself."

"And you _should_ ," Blake said. "Because it's _your life,_ Weiss."

"No." She shook her head. "It's _our_ life now, Blake."

The Faunus girl couldn't think of anything else to say in response to that.

Weiss was right – it was _their_ life now.

But that still didn't excuse Blake for the way she'd acted.

"Still..." she sighed. "I'm sorry, Weiss. I made you cry..." She squeezed the girl's hands again, then released one so she could brush a finger over Weiss' cheek.

Weiss too, reached up towards her girlfriend.

"And I made you cry too, it seems."

Blake shook her head.

"It was my own fault-"

"Hush," Weiss breathed, the sobs finally dying away. "You... You came in to apologize, Blake. That's all that matters. I was scared that you wouldn't, scared that you'd still be angry. And I'm sorry for ever thinking so poorly of you. After eight years, you'd think I'd know you better."

"But this isn't like the high school years," Blake reminded her, leaning down more to feel Weiss' touch on her face. "This is our first time living together under the same roof, with no one else here. There's a lot we've learned about each other in the past two months alone, and... maybe there's still more we don't know yet. But we'll figure things out, Weiss. We always do."

"Yes we do," she agreed. "But _please_ , Blake. I don't want you feeling guilty about all of this. I made it worse by crying unnecessarily. I should've been able to control myself better."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Blake said. "...But I'll try not to feel guilty. It won't do either of us any good. I just... I just need to be sure you're okay after I... said all of those things..."

The tears started again, and Weiss reached up to cup Blake's face with both hands. She pulled her girlfriend down to lay on the bed beside her, cradling Blake's head to her chest with care.

"I'm alright," she murmured. "I know you didn't mean those things, Blake. Sometimes people just snap and say things they don't mean in the heat of the moment. I understand. I've done it too."

Sitting at Weiss' side, Blake was a repenting partner. But in her arms, she was reduced to a pitifully whimpering newborn.

"I'm sorry..." she wailed. "I-I didn't want you to be scared of me. I never w-want to make you frightened of me. I'm so sorry, Weiss. I do-don't want you to hate me..."

"Blake..." Weiss pulled away to look deeply into her tearful eyes. "I will never hate you, Blake. For any reason. We've been through too much together already. I know almost all there is to know about you by now. Whatever happens between us – good or bad – I will never _hate_ you. Ever."

With another whimper, Blake buried her face in Weiss' collar and clung to her back.

Weiss blinked tears away, and they seeped into Blake's hair.

She let Blake cry for as long as she needed to, simply relieved that this squabble hadn't turned into anything horrible.

They both made a promise in those minutes of crying.

They promised that this first fight had been their last.

They would probably argue in the future, as communication was key in any relationship, especially saying the things that made them upset.

But they'd never _fight_ again.

Even when they'd argued in their past years together, Blake had noticed how Weiss had never yelled. She knew Blake's Faunus ears were sensitive, and Weiss never wanted to hurt her, so the most she'd ever done when exasperated was raise her voice to a loud speaking volume, but she'd never shouted.

Blake was upset that she'd done as much to Weiss tonight, and it was only after nearly an hour of apologies and wiping tears when she finally forgave herself.

Weiss had kissed her countless times in that past hour, reassuring her again and again that everything was alright between them.

Blake half-expected her girlfriend to get fed up and leave halfway through to let Blake wallow in her childish sorrows alone.

But Weiss never left her, and Blake vowed never to leave her, either.

With one last apology, Blake stopped saying them. She sat up and reached over Weiss to the bedside table to grab the tissue box, and the both of them got started on filling the little waste bin with them.

The sun had already set by this time, the room now filled with just a dark evening light.

Once Blake had tossed her final tissue away, she wiped her eyes again and sighed.

"I don't really feel like making dinner, and I doubt you do either, right?" Weiss shook her head, and Blake nodded. "Then want me to just heat up some leftovers?"

But to her surprise, Weiss shook her head again.

"No. I'm not hungry tonight."

Blake frowned and slid closer to her.

"Hey... I know tonight wasn't nice for either of us... but you've gotta eat, Weiss. You haven't had anything since lunch."

"I'll eat in the morning. I promise. I just... don't think anything I eat now will stay down..." she admitted.

"You... feel sick?" Instantly concerned, Blake's ears flattened again.

"I'm not sure," Weiss sighed. "I just want to sleep."

Blake's stomach flipped again. Was this because of their fight? If she'd unsettled Weiss enough for her to refuse food, Blake was going to regress into hating herself again.

Weiss seemed to be reading her thoughts and quickly shook her head.

"Don't worry," she said. "I've been feeling odd since this morning. That's probably why I missed the light. But I think a bit of rest will do me some good."

Blake scrutinized her for a moment before moving closer.

"Just... let me make sure you're not getting sick."

She pulled Weiss close and kissed her forehead, feeling for a temperature. She felt a bit warm, but Blake couldn't tell if it was because of the fight making her flustered, or because of something else.

Blake then slipped down and pressed an ear to her girlfriend's chest, holding onto Weiss' waist gently. Her ear flicked uncomfortably.

"Your heart's pounding."

"I think I'm still just... calming down from everything," Weiss mumbled. "I'll be fine after I sleep."

Blake pulled away and straightened up, looking the girl over once more.

"Alright. But if you're not better by morning, I'm taking you to the doctor."

"Blake, please. We can't afford-"

"If you need help, then yes we can," she said firmly. Then, Blake softened her tone. "You'd do the same for me, Weiss. I know you would." She kissed the girl's scarred cheek gingerly.

With a sigh of defeat Weiss nodded.

"Alright."

Satisfied, Blake unbuttoned Weiss' blazer for her, gingerly helped her out of it, and tossed it aside at the foot of the bed. She pulled the white under-shirt free from Weiss' dress pants, hoping it would help her breathe a bit easier.

In the end, however, she simply fetched Weiss' clean pajama top and pants for her and urged her to change.

"I'm just going to eat a quick supper," Blake announced. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

She lingered a second longer, watching Weiss with concerned eyes before slipping out of the room.

As she was re-heating some leftover pasta, Blake was aware of Weiss hobbling out of the bedroom and into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Blake finished her food quickly before taking her turn in the bathroom to change and brush, then retreated back to the bedroom and her waiting girlfriend.

The bedside lamp was the only source of light in the apartment now, and Blake wasted no time in getting into bed beside Weiss. The smaller girl was the definition of fatigued, and Blake urged her to lay down right away.

She turned off the lamp and laid beside Weiss, and the fight from just a few hours earlier almost felt as though it'd never happened.

The guilt was still there in the back of her mind, but above all else on Blake's thoughts right now was Weiss' wellbeing. At the very least, tomorrow was Saturday, and neither would have to jeopardize work should Weiss need to be taken to see a doctor.

Blake pushed the self-loathing aside, knowing it was pointless and would only hurt the both of them more.

She focused instead on holding Weiss in her arms, rubbing her back and petting through her hair, kissing the crown of her head. To think she'd almost decided to sleep on the couch tonight and miss all of this because of some petty fight...

She made sure to rub Weiss' back for her to compensate for thoughts of leaving her, and to try and make her feel better. One hand dipped down in between their stomachs, and she slipped her palm beneath her girlfriend's shirt to rub her skin gently.

"If you need a midnight snack or get hungry at any time, just wake me up and I'll help you get some food, okay?"

She felt Weiss nod against her chest. Blake could also feel the girl's hands attempting to thread through her hair. But Weiss' motions were so weak and tired that Blake kissed her nose and gently told her it was alright to stop.

"It's okay. Just rest. You'll be doing both of us a favor, I promise."

Weiss sighed against her neck.

"Alright..." she mumbled. "And... I'm sorry-"

"Don't." Blake hushed her with another kiss. "I'm sorry, too. But we're done with apologies now, alright? No more of this. Just sleep and get better."

"...I'll try."

Blake bit her lip; if _trying_ was the extent of what Weiss could do for this, it might've been cause for concern.

But they'd wait until morning to find out.

Blake knew that Weiss typically tended to fall asleep last, or they'd go at the same time. But tonight, the Faunus girl was intent on seeing Weiss rest first before she allowed herself to follow.

She continued rubbing the girl's back and chest as she kissed Weiss' face, emitting a slow, cajoling purr against Weiss' chest to help slow her heart.

Just before Weiss slipped into slumber, she was sure to make one last statement.

"Goodnight, Blake. I love you... I _love_ you..."

Blake purred a little harder.

"I love you too, Weiss. Sweet dreams."

At last, Weiss drifted off, and Blake relaxed a bit in knowing her girlfriend wasn't in pain anymore. She was still worried about whatever was ailing Weiss, but had faith that the morning would shed light on it, as well as how to help her girlfriend feel better.

Blake closed her eyes and allowed sleep to come as well.

And in that manner, their first fight came and went fairly painlessly, and had been resolved quickly enough to find them back in one another's arms just a short while later.

They'd both keep that promise – to ensure they'd never fight again, nothing worse than a blameless argument or lecture that would resolve itself shortly afterward with an apology and a kiss.

Eight years of loving one another was a long time, and neither was going to let something as trivial as a disagreement get in the way of their long-lasting relationship.

Today's fight had been an important step in their journey, but they'd both learned a lot about how to handle their emotions and treat one another with them. It was a lesson they'd both taken to heart and would remember for every squabble to come, that if they'd overcome _this_ fight, they could overcome anything else life threw at them.

It had taken a bit out of them both, but had strengthened them in return, as well as served to deepen their inseparable bond.

Night swept over them and took them both, blanketing them in a calmness that the morning's light would strive to melt away.

* * *

 **A/N: I tried to handle their characters as best I could. We've seen them argue before, and we know book-loving, quiet Blake can get angry enough to yell if something rubs her the wrong way. She's probably also prone to more depressing thoughts. Whereas, while Weiss would typically shout back, as I said here, she couldn't do it to Blake after they'd become so close.**

 **I feel Weiss would be more prone to her emotions and feeling guilty about a _lack_ of action that ultimately resulted in her upsetting someone who'd been depending on her, while Blake would get upset at herself for the _presence_ of her actions, but the wrong ones.**

 **If you like my work, please support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	4. Healing Together

**Now that the squabbling is behind them, it's time to address Weiss' condition.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 4. Healing Together

When morning came, last night didn't even feel real for Blake.

There was an uncontrollable feeling of guilt still washing over her for yelling at Weiss, but what soon eclipsed that was the concern for her.

Upon recalling Weiss hadn't been feeling well yesterday, Blake blinked open her eyes in the sunlight in order to discern her position on the bed.

As they'd slept, Weiss had rolled away from her to give Blake her back, and presently the Faunus girl slid closer. Beneath the blankets, she wrapped her arms around Weiss, one hand resting lightly over her forehead and the other draped over her chest.

Blake closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment, but it wasn't hard to figure out there was clearly something wrong with her girlfriend. Weiss' temperature was a bit feverish, and her erratic heartbeat was throbbing hard enough for Blake to feel it through Weiss' back.

All hopes that she'd be better by this morning were ripped away as a new wave of worry heaved in her belly.

Just before she could pull away, Blake heard the smaller girl moan. But it wasn't the tired moan of a person just waking up, rather, it was a moan of pain.

Blake kept a loose grip on Weiss, allowing her to move however was most comfortable for her. The white-haired girl let out a wheezing sigh, her hands shifting to curl over Blake's arm that lay across her chest. When she spoke, her voice was raspy and trembling.

"B-Blake..."

Faunus ears went flat at the sound of her tone, and Blake couldn't help but hug her a little tighter.

"Morning," she said. "How... How are you feeling?"

She felt Weiss shake her head.

"Not well."

"I figured as much. You're warm and your heart's still acting up. Let's have a quick breakfast and then I'll drive you to the doctor."

"Blake, you don't have to-"

"Hush." Blake leaned forward over Weiss' shoulder and kissed her cheek. "This is what we decided on last night, remember? Now, I'm going to pour us a bit of cereal. You just stay here and rest, alright?"

With reluctance, she let go of Weiss and slipped out of bed. Her keen ears didn't miss the ensuing whimper from her girlfriend, and Blake quickly scurried around to the other side of the bed.

"Too hot?" she guessed.

Weiss' eyes were tired and agonized, and she seemed rather breathless, as all she could manage to do by means of a response was nod.

Blake dipped down to kiss her forehead, then pulled the thick covers down and away from Weiss' body, though she left the sheets. She tucked Weiss in and made sure her head was resting comfortably on the pillow before kissing her again.

"Just rest for a few minutes. I know the doctor's is no fun, but we've got to go if you're this sick. I'll be in the kitchen, so if you need me for anything, just call, alright?"

Again, Weiss could only nod, her eyelids closing unwillingly as another clipped breath escaped her lips.

Blake hated to leave her like this, but she'd get help soon enough.

Rushing out of the bedroom, she stopped by the bathroom for a moment before heading to the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets for a pair of clean bowls. She moved with jittery motions as she grabbed the cereal boxes, making sure to only pour a small portion for Weiss in case she couldn't eat much.

Blake opened the fridge and grabbed the milk, but just before she could open it to start pouring, a soft noise alerted her attention.

Ears flicking, she looked up to find Weiss leaning heavily against the wall, back hunched and her long hair falling out all around her. Blake instantly dropped everything onto the counter and hurried to her girlfriend.

"Weiss!" she cried. "What are you doing?" Blake wrapped her arms gently around Weiss' shoulders and waist, making sure to support her unsteady weight. "I told you to stay in bed. You can't walk like this."

"Blake..." she wheezed. "Listen to me. We _don't_ need to go to the doctor's for this."

"Yes we do. Don't try to-"

"Blake, there's nothing a doctor can do for this that we can't do ourselves."

"What? What do you...?" As her mind registered the words, Blake's ears suddenly perked up, and her eyes sparked with clarity. "Oh... You mean it's just-"

"Not my week, evidently," Weiss said, attempting a dry laugh.

As everything clicked for Blake, the panic that had been flaring in her chest died away almost instantly.

"Are... Are you sure that's _all_ it is?" she checked.

"I'm fairly certain," Weiss rasped. "It's not often, but sometimes the first day or two are particularly bad. I guess this is just one of those times... And the fever probably isn't helping..."

As she spoke, Blake recalled a few memories from high school.

She herself didn't get terrible cramps, but she knew Weiss was prone to them. As she'd said, it wasn't every time, perhaps just three or four times a year, but when it was bad, it was _bad_.

While in school, Weiss would often go to the nurse's office to rest and get painkillers, but sometimes she'd stay home altogether.

Blake had offhandedly witnessed the pain Weiss would experience sometimes, but she'd never been in such close contact with her girlfriend when it happened. The days like these numbered fewer than ten per year, and Blake could see how it would've been easier for her to miss them, even in the last eight years.

But now Weiss was all she had, and _she_ was all _Weiss_ had.

Living together as they were, they now each had to take on the hardships like these that only parents and family members had dealt with before.

It wasn't uncommon for some people to have immobilizing cramps, but just the fact that such symptoms were now assaulting _Weiss_ sent Blake into an overprotective, almost maternal mode.

Another little moan of pain alerted her to her girlfriend's shaking legs and heaving shoulders.

"Weiss..." Blake hugged her lightly. "Well, it's a good thing it's the weekend. We're taking it easy today no matter what. Let me help you to the couch."

Slowly, she guided Weiss to the living area, one stiff step at a time, keeping one hand on her back and the other on her stomach.

Weiss kept making little pained sounds as she moved, her breath ragged and clipped, her eyes barely even open. They'd only gone about two feet when Blake felt her sag.

"H-Hey!" Diving forward, she kept her hands in place as Weiss collapsed to her knees in agony, Blake kneeling in a fluster beside her.

"I-I'm sorry-" Weiss gasped. "It hurts, I can't-"

"Shh, it's okay," Blake cradled the girl's head to her chest and let out a soothing purr. "That was stupid of me. I'm sorry for making you walk when you're in so much pain. May I carry you? Or will that hurt too much?"

She gave Weiss a moment to catch her breath, purring continuously until she got a response.

"Th-That... might be best..."

"Okay. Brace yourself."

Blake slipped an arm beneath Weiss' knees and shoulders, pulling the girl close to her chest before standing very slowly.

Weiss' brow was furrowed in pain, and as Blake straightened herself up, the smaller girl gasped again. Blake kissed her forehead in apology and brought her to the couch.

She sat down and leaned back against the cushions, keeping Weiss lying horizontally in her lap as she cradled her. There were little tears clinging to the corners of her eyes, and Blake whimpered as she dipped down and kissed them away.

"No, no, no..." she begged. "Don't cry, Weiss. I'm sorry it hurts so badly. And on top of it you got sick." This would also explain a lot of Weiss' reactions last night. Blake didn't think she normally would've been so emotional. But perhaps this explained a bit of her own explosive behavior as well. "I'm on mine, too. I wish I could take half the pain from you..." She bent down and kissed her temple, letting Weiss rest her head on her thighs.

"No..." she rasped. "I can... h-handle it... I always do."

"Yeah, but now you have me with you," Blake reminded her. "You don't have to deal with it alone in public or during classes anymore or try to explain it to your dad. I'll take care of you now, so just relax."

She started to purr once again, rocking Weiss very lightly in her lap. She rubbed Weiss' shoulders with one hand, and used the other to tuck loose locks of hair behind her ear for her.

Now that she wasn't under the blankets any longer, Weiss' slight fever had ebbed away. But she was still jolting in pain every now and again, curling and straightening her legs repeatedly.

Blake dipped her free hand to the girl's pajama shirt, slipping beneath it to rub her stomach and as far down as her navel. She could even feel Weiss' pulse pounding as low as her belly, and Blake did her best to rub over the smooth skin slowly, making little circles with her palm.

It was probably as close as Weiss would ever get to heaven under these circumstances. Blake's hand was cool against the stifling heat in her stomach, and the occasional kiss to her cheek or forehead helped distract her from the pain.

Before long, there was a relaxing purr beneath her ear, vibrating softly against the left side of her body. Weiss couldn't help but let out a grateful moan.

"Blake... ah... it feels better..."

The sound of her voice less high-strung was reward enough for Blake to continue with what she was doing. She went on rubbing Weiss' stomach as far up as her ribs, until her breathing had slowed a bit. Weiss turned into her more, and Blake realized the calming effect her purr was having on the girl.

Carefully, she helped Weiss sit up a little, though her legs stayed curled up beside the Faunus girl's lap. Blake drew her girlfriend in, looping both arms around her back and coaxing Weiss to rest her chin on her shoulder.

Chest-to-chest now, Blake purred a little harder and a little louder.

Weiss breathed her in as the vibrations spread across her pounding chest and torso. Blake's slow, controlled breathing served to snuff out Weiss' harsher, clipped breaths, transforming them into inhales and exhales akin to Blake's own.

Blake could feel Weiss relaxing more by the minute, feel her heart rate dropping, feel her breathing slowing...

She continued to hold her close like that for nearly ten minutes, until she'd felt that she'd calmed Weiss down a bit and eased the pain. Blake stroked up and down her back and through her hair lovingly.

"How's that feel?" she purred.

Weiss could only sigh in relief.

"Blake..." She couldn't think of words of gratitude right now, so her only response was to kiss the dark-haired girl's cheek.

Satisfied that Weiss wasn't in as much pain anymore, Blake laid her down gently on the couch and slipped out from underneath her. Caressing Weiss' face and bangs, she bent down to kiss her once again.

"I'll go get you some painkillers. Just take it easy now."

"Mm..."

With Weiss' confirmation, Blake went into the bathroom once more and looked to the shelves behind the sliding mirror. She grabbed a bottle of pills and then retreated back to the kitchen to fill a glass with water before she returned to Weiss.

Helping her sit up, she made sure Weiss was awake and well enough to be able to swallow the pills without incident. Weiss reassured her that she could, and swallowed them both dry.

Blake yelped just at the sight of it and begged her to drink some water as well. With a chuckle, Weiss complied.

"What? You can't take your pills dry?" she teased, taking a sip.

"No way. That's impossible. Doesn't it taste awful?"

"Not really," Weiss shrugged.

"Gosh... I have a new level of respect for you."

Weiss chuckled again and handed her the half-finished glass of water.

Blake was relieved to see her girlfriend was feeling better enough to smile now, the threat of tears just a distant memory.

But Weiss voiced her concerns about eating breakfast, so Blake opted to pour her girlfriend's bowl-full of cereal back into the box and save it for another day. She poured the milk into her own bowl and munched on it as she took a slice of bread from the fridge and popped it into the toaster.

A few minutes later, she brought Weiss a piece of toast and some crackers in order to keep things light and easy to digest. Her girlfriend managed to eat the toast and a few of the crackers, but Blake cautioned her not to push herself.

After breakfast, Blake washed out her bowl as Weiss hobbled to the bathroom to shower. Blake was sure to keep an ear turned toward that direction at all times for sounds of distress.

In the meantime, she set her laptop up and hooked it up to the TV for a relaxing day of movie marathons.

Weiss emerged a while later, dressed again in her pajama pants and top with a towel around her shoulders. Blake hurried over to help her walk back to the couch, but again ended up carrying her before long.

She regretted to inform Weiss that they didn't have a heating pad yet, but she was determined to help Weiss feel better at all costs.

Blake sat down and laid Weiss' back over her lap, piling a few pillows on top of one another so the girl could rest her head comfortably.

As the first of many movies began, Blake took the liberty upon herself to rub Weiss' stomach and chest for her, helping to ease whatever pain the pills had failed to eradicate.

Their peaceful day was only interrupted by a few brief bathroom breaks or snack runs on Blake's part. She fed Weiss some crackers and a few grapes, occasionally bending down to cuddle her for no reason other than the fact that she could.

When the afternoon came around, Weiss was feeling immensely better, and informed Blake of this. But the Faunus girl refused to let up on her tummy-rubs.

"Even if you're feeling better, I'm spoiling you today, and you're going to like it."

"Blake, darling-"

"Pet names will do nothing for you. Don't try to stop me. You'll never win."

With a sigh, Weiss was willing to admit defeat just this once.

She enjoyed Blake's treatment of stomach massages and excessive cuddling, something she never really expected to be doing at this age, but something she now knew she'd likely require for the rest of her life.

They ordered dinner to be delivered that night to celebrate Weiss' recovery, and the white-haired girl ended up eating her entire dish and leaving not a crumb of leftovers.

Blake was glad her appetite had returned, and now that she knew Weiss was feeling better, Blake was happier, too.

They cleaned everything up, then retreated back to their movie marathon, now sitting side-by-side.

That evening, they learned how the other reacted to various movie genres.

They'd gone to see many movies in theaters together over the years for dates, but it had usually been action or comedy films.

When a horror movie came on the lineup that night, Blake was ready to hold Weiss close to her and shield her from the gruesome scenes. However, in the end, Weiss was the one scoffing at the film as Blake whimpered and tucked into her side.

Weiss would pet her back for her as she criticized the film with phrases such as "That's not realistic at all. No one has that much blood in their bodies" or "I think it would take a bit more effort than _that_ to snap someone's spine." She watched the most graphic of scenes with an eye for critique while Blake trembled with flattened ears and hummed to herself to drown out the noise.

By the time the film was over, the Faunus girl was laughing at herself for the way things had turned out, though she was still a bit shaken by the movie.

Noticing as much, Weiss made sure a comedy film was next, and she braided and played with Blake's hair for her all the while to help her forget the horror.

They laughed together, though sometimes Weiss failed to understand the irony of some of the jokes, but her cluelessness only caused Blake to laugh even harder.

Somehow, they ended up locked in a vicious tickle-fight.

Blake was simply shocked that Weiss, who'd been so painfully immobilized to the point of tears earlier that morning, was now so vivacious and energized. Despite Blake's advantages in height and weight, she only pinned Weiss once before her girlfriend had managed to turn the tables and get the best of her.

If her tickling skills were any demonstration as to how Weiss was feeling now, Blake was content in knowing her girlfriend was pain-free.

They tussled and flipped over on the couch, repeatedly utilizing sweet spots to take advantage of the other's weakness. Blake went for the nape of Weiss' neck, and Weiss went for the sensitive insides of Blake's Faunus ears.

Shrill squeaks and laughs filled the apartment for nearly half an hour, neither willing to give in.

They only came to a draw when neither could go on, and Weiss collapsed on top of Blake's chest.

"That was... some fight, Belladonna..." she gasped.

"Not bad, Schnee..." Blake purred. "But I'm really glad you're feeling better. I was so worried."

Weiss kissed her nose.

"Thank you for worrying about me."

She rested her head sideways over Blake's collar, closing her eyes on the movie as she listened to her girlfriend's thrumming heart. Weiss had no choice in the matter as she quickly faded off into slumber.

Blake could sense what had happened and kissed the crown of Weiss' head. But she didn't have the heart to wake her – not after the day Weiss had been through.

So Blake strained to reach the remote and turned off the TV, shrouding the room in darkness aside from a sliver of moonlight cast in through the windows.

She shifted to make sure she wasn't near the edge of the couch, then locked her arms securely around Weiss' back to ensure she didn't roll off in the night. Lifting her and bringing her back to bed might risk waking her, so Blake decided to stay put for tonight.

For a while, she simply laid there, feeling Weiss breathe against her, playing with those soft, silken tresses.

To think Blake had ever lashed out at her...

But that fight had been vital; now they both knew how each could be affected by their monthly shift in hormones, and knowing that firsthand would help them deal with future months to come.

Blake vowed to control her temper flares and to think things through before jumping to conclusions, and she'd be sure to be mindful of Weiss' potential pain and tendencies to become more emotional.

Even after just two months, every day had been one that taught Blake something about Weiss, and vice versa. Even their disagreements had ultimately led to understanding of some kind.

Blake really loved this. She loved living like this, loved learning more about her beloved girlfriend, loved the fact that they could overcome anything for one another.

And she loved Weiss – more than anything.

With a purr like a deflating balloon, Blake closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

* * *

The next morning, they both slept in, though Weiss was back to her usual self and woke first.

She carefully climbed off her girlfriend and let Blake sleep, while Weiss herself went to prepare breakfast for them both.

Blake woke to a breakfast in bed, though Weiss had to correct herself.

"Er... couch," she mumbled.

Blake chuckled and pulled her into a hug.

Weiss handed Blake her plate of tuna melt as she made her claims.

"Since all you did was spoil me yesterday, now it's your turn to get spoiled," she declared.

She didn't let Blake clean any dishes or do any chores. Instead, Weiss filled a hot bath for her girlfriend and insisted she relax. She put a plum-scented bath bomb into the steamy water, and ensured it was bubbly to Blake's liking.

Blake purred at the sight of the bath and hugged Weiss again before the latter left the Faunus girl to remove her clothes and step into the water.

Weiss re-entered a few minutes later and handed her girlfriend a book to hold above-water to enjoy. She sat on the stool behind her, washing Blake's back and hair for her.

Weiss hummed idly as she worked, lathering shampoo and conditioner through those thick, black tresses, and before she knew it, she was singing fully.

Blake's purr provided some background noise whenever Weiss' voice paused, and together they made for a rather pleasant little duet.

"We should start a band," Blake chuckled.

"Yes," Weiss said. "I'll sing, and you purr. It's flawless."

Blake laughed again and returned her eyes to her book.

After a while, Weiss left so Blake could dry herself off and change back into her pajamas.

They played a few games together before retreating to their respective laptops to get a bit of leisure writing and browsing done.

Weiss soon prepared supper, going through the trouble of cooking a bit of the meat they'd bought at the grocery store a few days ago.

Then it was movies, massages, and bedtime once more.

"Did you have a nice day?" Weiss wondered, curling up in bed beside Blake. Her girlfriend's only response was to pull Weiss into a fiercely-appreciative kiss.

Yesterday, the kisses had been soft and tender, but it felt good in knowing they could both go back to these kinds.

Without the pains in her stomach now, Weiss could hold her breath much more comfortably for longer, harder kisses, and Blake wasn't holding back either. She trailed them all the way down Weiss' neck to her chest, purring roughly as Weiss scratched her back for her.

But when Weiss felt Blake's hands straying at her waist, she stopped her girlfriend. Curious, Blake halted what she was doing, instead feeling Weiss reverse their positions and climb on top of her.

Weiss kept her voice low in the darkness as she husked into Blake's ear.

"Now I know we usually do this sort of thing to relieve stress after a long day at work..." she whispered. "But it's my day to spoil you, so please forgive me for doing it now~"

Blake purred louder.

"I wouldn't be opposed."

Weiss kissed her for a long time, lips straying wherever they could reach as her hands roamed Blake's body. Her fingers eventually slipped lower, and Weiss worked until Blake gasped her name around a loud purr.

Weiss kissed her off the high, then squeaked when she was flipped onto her back once again.

"I didn't get to spoil you last night," Blake huffed. "So please accept this delayed treatment."

She did the same for Weiss, purring against her chest and kissing her all over, until her fingers curled just right and Weiss shuddered in relief.

At last, they both collapsed and cuddled close together, murmuring their usual goodnights.

"I love you, Blake."

"I love you, Weiss."

Sleep came quickly and quietly, just as morning would come.

* * *

They both woke feeling particularly energized and eager for work, and they knew it had everything to do with the intimate weekend they'd shared.

Weiss was free of pain now, and Blake's moodiness had vanished, and the couple went about their morning routine as they always did – packing lunches, buttoning blazers, and brushing hair.

The drive to work was without traffic, and Weiss was sure to kiss Blake a second longer before she got out of the car.

Both received good news upon getting into their workplaces.

Weiss had half the amount of paperwork to take care of now, and thus half the stress.

And Blake had been promoted to a raise of an additional dollar per hour.

During their lunch breaks, they shared the news with one another, excited and overjoyed about the prospect of Blake's raise. Weiss set the goal for herself to work harder as well and hopefully get a raise before long, too.

The rest of the day went by without incident or hardships, as did the rest of the week.

The couple went for their usual walks again on sunny days, and stayed inside on rainy ones. They switched up the meals with all different kinds of foods, and discovered new shows and movies to enjoy.

But every night was always the same – the kisses, the closeness, and the warmth.

Even when the nights became warmer and they needed to start turning on the air conditioning a bit, they always pressed close to one another. Blake would purr songs, and Weiss would hum them.

They'd both play with hair as always, sharing and stealing kisses, listening to heartbeats, holding and being held.

After eight years of this love, nothing could ever come between them – of this, they were both certain.

This new life together only served to prove that more and more each day.

It would take a bit of time, but something else would soon prove as much as well.

* * *

 **A/N: The final chapter is upon us!**

 **Also, scenes from this chapter were loosely based off a cute piece by Dash I've always loved (and still love so much). It can be found on her blog at d** **ashingicecream,tumblr,com/post/109738639437**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	5. Now And Forever

**Here is the finale chapter of this little Apartment AU of mine. I hope you'll enjoy!**

 **This chapter rated T+ or soft M.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 5. Now And Forever

Weeks turned to months for Weiss and Blake.

The seasons changed and grew warmer, but they didn't have to fight the air conditioning bills due to Blake's raise from her job.

Weiss, too, eventually received a raise from her boss, and their concern about rent soon became a thing of the past.

They watched all they needed to on Blake's laptop, and therefore didn't require the cable bill.

They never saw a fight worse than their first, and whatever disagreements or frustrations they had – be it with one another or with something else entirely – they would always talk things out until a solution had come into view. Things they couldn't change, they merely strived to accept, and in time the sour feelings died away.

Neither could ever stay upset for long, not when there was always a gentle touch to her shoulder or a tender kiss on her cheek. It was remembering "I have better things to concern myself with" that always pulled them out of even the deepest of pitfalls.

When they needed time apart, they would take a Saturday for themselves; Weiss would go to the mall alone and Blake would go to the park to read. The mini vacations were necessary to cool down and have some space and time to themselves, but at the end of the day, they were always more than eager to come back into each other's arms and curl up for bed.

They were always together, and rarely needed to use their cell phones, except to contact family or friends. They paid visits home to their families on convenient weekends, or when there were birthdays or holidays to celebrate.

Those were always nice little changes to their otherwise set schedules, but neither girl ever complained about the new life they had together.

No matter how exhausting their jobs might become, they knew they could always see one another on lunch break and enjoy dinner together in just a few hours. Knowing they could fall asleep together and wake up just the same was a reward they never got tired of.

They tried new things to keep their relationship interesting, like one week when Weiss proposed a fasting challenge; Blake wasn't able to eat any tuna, and Weiss herself had to avoid meats for a week.

Blake proposed the idea of going on dates the first weekend of every month to use a bit of the money they'd saved on the previous month's bill to celebrate.

Sometimes they'd be blessed with an extra day off a week and would venture to the local park for a day. Sometimes they would spend an entire day cleaning the apartment together, or they would stay up until dawn and then sleep in until the afternoon.

They would do little activities to break from the norm to keep things interesting.

When summertime finally rolled around, they invited their good friends Ruby and Yang to come and visit. The sisters had been pining and begging to come see the place for months now, but schedules had always clashed in some way or another until now.

The first Saturday Yang could finally drive her car over to the apartment complex parking lot and find a space was a hot one in the middle of summer. She and Ruby hopped out, dressed in shorts and skirts and tank-tops.

Blake and Weiss met them outside, and only when their eyes met did the four girls truly realize how long it had been since they'd last seen one another.

The sisters were the first ones to break out running.

"Weiss!"

"Blakey!"

They threw themselves at their friends, Weiss stumbling back to catch Ruby, and Blake wheezing as Yang crushed the air from her lungs.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Ruby?"

"Long time no see, Yang."

The sisters continued to squeeze them both before switching targets. Blake was thankful for Ruby's softer embrace, but Weiss was getting her feet lifted off the grass and her back cracked by the blonde. When at last she was put back down onto solid ground, she straightened up and fixed her hair.

"Well... I see you two haven't changed a bit," she noted. "I'm glad for that."

"And you two look like the purrfect little newlywed couple~" Yang hummed.

Blake's ears went flat, and Weiss looked away with a blush.

"Yang!" Blake huffed. "We're not newlyweds, you idiot."

"Might as well be!"

Surprisingly, it was Ruby who pacified her elder sister.

"Yang, come on, don't tease." She then leaned closer so only Yang could hear. "Though I'm sure it won't be long now~"

Blake's keen ears picked up on what she'd said and she snorted, intent on changing the subject.

"Come on, you two. Let us show you the place."

"Oh boy!" Ruby scurried to the door and bounced excitedly in place as she waited for the three older girls to meet her there.

Weiss unlocked the door and warned them to watch their step on the stairs. Yang seemed to heed her warning, but Ruby just bolted right up without a care in the world.

"Whoa!" Her amazed cry told the rest of them she was already enjoying the apartment. "It's so neat! I like all the little personal touches you guys've put in to make it feel like home. That's so cute! And holy crap, does this couch turn into a _bed?_ "

Yang had to grab her little sister by the scruff to prevent her from jumping on furniture and touching things, reminding her to mind her manners. The brunette was twenty-one years old now, but to the rest of them, she'd always be fifteen.

Blake and Weiss gave the sisters a quick tour of the place before the Faunus girl led them to the couch in the living area. Weiss prepared little snacks for everyone and offered drinks.

"Oooh~" Yang said. "That reminds me. The four of us gotta go grab a beer together sometime now that Ruby's legal!"

"I don't think she'd like beer," Blake chuckled.

"I don't think she'd like anything," Weiss put in.

"Why not?" Ruby whined.

The answer was simple and came from all three of them:

"There's no sugar," they explained.

Ruby blinked, then scrunched her nose.

"Ew! Then what's even the _point_ of drinking?"

The older trio couldn't help but burst into laughter. Weiss wrapped Ruby in a brief hug and patted her hair.

"Don't ever drink," she said. "The three of us can have the alcohol, but we'll pick you up a milkshake along the way."

"She'll be our designated driver," Blake decided.

"Perfect!" Yang exclaimed.

The quartet chatted for several hours, talking about events in their respective lives until tangents took them down spirals of conversational paths.

They talked of present work and reminisced on high school memories, discussed hobbies they'd tried and new shops or restaurants they recommended.

Once the talking had run its course, Blake hooked up her laptop and they started watching movies. Weiss made microwaved popcorn to share as the four girls got comfortable on the not-so-spacious couch.

It was once the sun had started to set when Ruby began nodding off, and Yang roused her to take her home.

"Hope we didn't overstay our welcome."

"Not at all," Weiss reassured her. "You're welcome to stay the night sometime."

"Sleepover?" Ruby mumbled. "I wanna do that!"

"Some other time," Blake said gently. "For now, you've got to go home."

They all exchanged goodbye hugs, and then Yang announced she would go to the car and start it running to get the air conditioning going on the humid night. Blake offered to follow her out while Weiss and Ruby stayed upstairs for the moment.

Blake had deliberately followed after Yang, and the blonde had a feeling she knew why.

Once she'd started the car, she straightened up and ushered Blake closer.

"What's up?"

The Faunus girl's ears were flicking nervously, her eyes darting over the pavement.

"I just... wanted your opinion on something..."

They conversed in hushed voices, the sounds of the car's engine effectively drowning their words out so no one could overhear. They talked for about five minutes before Yang gave her best friend a quick, supportive hug.

"If you need anything else, just gimme a call, alright?"

"...Alright. Thanks, Yang."

"Don't mention it," she said with a wink.

At last, Blake returned to the apartment and gave Weiss the thumbs-up to guide the tired Ruby down the stairs, but not before she hugged Blake goodbye.

It was a bit of a challenge for Weiss to gently pry the girl off of her and get Ruby into the car. She said goodbye to Yang and watched their car drive off.

Then, turning around, she found Blake had come back outside to fetch her. With a gentle hand on hers, Blake led her girlfriend back inside, her mind still a bit fuzzy from her conversation with Yang.

Weiss could instantly sense that something was amiss, and paused at the bottom of the stairs.

"Tired?" she guessed.

Blake blinked, then nodded.

"Yeah. But I had fun."

"As did I," Weiss agreed. "Now let's get on up to bed. I'll give you a massage."

* * *

Seasons shifted, the heat dwindling until it became a cool breeze, an earlier evening, and a darker morning.

The flowers that decorated the neighborhood shriveled and wilted, leaving behind their roots for the next thaw to breathe life into. Leaves turned gold and red before falling, littering the streets and yards in carpets of color.

With the colder seasons came their birthdays, Blake's in the autumn and Weiss' coming with winter.

Weiss had been saving up a bit of money on the side.

On the morning of Blake's birthday when they'd both taken vacation days, she let her girlfriend sleep in for a while, humming words of love and affection into her furry ears. Weiss cuddled and pampered her for hours, waking her with kisses and rubbing her stomach.

She prepared Blake breakfast in bed and made a fresh tuna melt for her girlfriend, and Blake thanked her a million times over in between bites.

Weiss took her girlfriend out to the park for a leisurely morning of fresh air, then brought her to the movies to see a film Blake had been excited about.

Weiss then took her to dinner at a fairly fancy place, and paid for everything out of her own pocket. She drove them home, parked, and then latched onto Blake's arm as they headed for the apartment building.

"I'm sorry it really wasn't much," Weiss sighed. "I wish I could've done more for you."

"Hey." Blake stopped them in their tracks, tugging on Weiss' wrist to turn her around, gazing deeply into her eyes. "Weiss, that was one of the _best_ days of my life. I think only second to the day we moved in together. I had _such_ a good time. Every second of the day was fun and exciting. I loved it. Thank you _so much_."

She pulled Weiss into a hug, and then a passionate kiss beneath the streetlights, the orange glow catching in Weiss' long, silvery hair and dyeing it golden. She felt Weiss' lips curve into a little smile before they parted.

"You're sure?" Weiss checked. "You're not just saying all of that to make me feel better?"

"No way," Blake said firmly. "This was the best birthday I've ever had, Weiss. And it's only thanks to you."

Blake kissed her again, more softly now, putting as much feeling into it as possible. She kissed her slowly, breathing into Weiss before stealing a bit of breath for herself, warm air passing between them despite the chill of the night.

At last, Weiss seemed convinced, and she pulled away with a mischievous smirk.

"Well then, allow me to spoil you one last time tonight. Go on up to bed and I'll meet you in a few minutes."

Blake did just that, parting from Weiss at the top of the stairs to slip into the bedroom and change into something appropriate for what lie ahead. She dimmed the lamplight and sat patiently on the bed.

A few minutes later, Weiss entered the room in something Blake had never seen before – likely a new piece she'd bought while out shopping one day.

Blake absolutely loved it, and she told Weiss as much.

"It looks beautiful on you," she said. "But something tells me it might look even better _off_ of you."

"Then shall we find out?"

Weiss fell playfully on top of her girlfriend, showering her with kisses and unbridled affection. Blake was eager to spoil her tonight as well, as thanks for all Weiss had done for her today.

Weiss allowed Blake to have her way first, simply so Weiss herself could focus on her girlfriend entirely. Once Weiss felt the tension coiling up in her stomach, she pulled Blake down for a rough kiss until the explosive tingling ebbed away.

Then it was her turn to repay the favor.

She ravished Blake as sweetly as possible, constantly cooing and praising her beauty. She savored the loud, hearty purr Blake was giving her, and Weiss did everything she could to make her girlfriend feel good.

It was a short while later when she finally stopped the teasing, her lips hovering just above Blake's as her hands moved lower down. Weiss husked a breath into her human ear.

"Happy birthday, Blake, my beautiful princess."

With a kiss, she swallowed Blake's moan of sheer pleasure, making it last for as long as possible before Blake went lax beneath her.

They kissed for at least another hour, until the passion died down to a lazy tiredness. The lamp was flicked off and the couple let sleep take them, curled up warmly together without a care in the world.

* * *

A few months later, the first flurries began to fall.

The temperature dropped even more, and the heavier clothes were brought out to fill their wardrobes.

Blake grew more and more anxious by the day, knowing each one brought her closer and closer to Weiss' birthday.

Just a week after that would be their nine-year anniversary, but not even that was Blake's greatest concern.

By now, they'd both gotten used to their schedules, both at work and at home. Even after being promoted, both girls could handle the workload without expending too much effort or energy anymore.

When they came home at night, they weren't as tired as they'd used to be. They went to bed a little earlier and woke up a little later, and the minutes of extra sleep really did wonders for them.

Ruby and Yang had come over to visit at least a dozen more times since the first, and every time, Blake would be sure to get Yang alone to talk to her about something.

Sometimes, she'd call Yang when Weiss was in the shower or text her when Weiss wasn't in the room. Yang was the only person she could think of to talk to about this, and the best person to help her chase away the inevitable anxieties.

But when Weiss' birthday was only a few weeks away, the white-haired girl started to take note of Blake's jitters.

One morning as they were getting ready for work, Blake absentmindedly put her hand on the stove, and if not for Weiss' inhuman reflexes to pull her away, the Faunus girl would've severely burned her hand.

As she tugged Blake over to the freezer and retrieved a small ice pack, Weiss was in a panic.

"Blake! What's gotten into you recently?" she demanded, forcing her girlfriend to make a fist on the ice pack. "A few days ago, you nearly fell down the stairs, yesterday you almost ran a red light, and now this? What's going on? Are you getting sick?" To check, Weiss bumped their foreheads together.

But Blake shook her head.

"No, nothing like that," she sighed. "I'm just a bit nervous a-about... something coming up."

She wasn't lying.

Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"Something at work?"

"Kind of..."

The white-haired girl didn't seem convinced.

"Blake, you know if there's something troubling you, you've got to talk to me about it. That's how all of this works, remember?"

The earnest concern in those crystal-blue pools touched Blake deeply enough to make her eyes water. She smiled and gave Weiss a chaste kiss on her lips.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Weiss. I'll tell you soon, okay? But don't worry about me. It's nothing bad, I promise."

Weiss scrutinized her for a moment before releasing a sigh.

"Fine. But I'll drive today. You take care of that hand."

"Got it."

From that day on, Blake was sure to be more competent about her mindlessness. There were no more incidents or injuries for the rest of the week, and it was clear that Weiss was growing less anxious now that Blake was seemingly back to normal.

Their days continued just as always, and their nights were warmer than ever with the excuse of the winter air bringing them to huddle close together.

And then it was the morning of Weiss' birthday.

It had fallen on a Friday, and both girls had taken the day off of work to enjoy themselves.

Blake managed to wake first for once, her subconscious having been on high alert for today.

As Weiss slept, Blake was allowed to stumble around like an idiot to her heart's content, bumping into walls and stubbing her toes more often than ever before.

Because today was the day.

In the kitchen, she started cutting up their freshly-bought fruits and compiling them into a salad for her girlfriend. It was her turn to give Weiss breakfast in bed after rousing her with kisses.

"Good morning, my gorgeous angel," she purred. "I've prepared a very special day for you." She sat in bed beside Weiss to accept the gratitude kisses before her girlfriend started eating.

Blake pick at the salad with her to help her finish, and once they were done, Blake took the bowl from her to bring it to the kitchen.

"Now then," she said. "You should get dressed into something warm. I highly recommend pants."

"Oh?" Weiss hummed. "Where exactly are we going?"

" _That_ , my dear..." Blake leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Is for me to know, and for you to find out."

So Weiss obliged, freshening up in the bathroom before changing into a pair of jeans and a light blue blouse. Blake put on a pair of black sweatpants and a purple sweater. They put on their coats and gloves, and Blake slipped a beanie on to cover her ears.

Once ready, she took Weiss' hand and led her down the stairs and outside into the cool morning.

A thin layer of frost covered the grass, and there was a light flurry spiraling down, though it wasn't sticking to the roads at all.

They got into the car, and Blake started driving, urging Weiss to close her eyes until they'd arrived at their destination.

When they had, the white-haired girl gasped out loud.

"Blake-! This is..."

"Yes, it is," she purred, instantly delighted by her girlfriend's sparkling-eyed reaction.

It was an ice skating rink, one that had just opened its outdoor rink a few weeks ago.

Even from the parking lot, Weiss could see the vast, smooth rink past a small fence, a handful of people already gliding on the ice.

She'd mentioned her desire to come here maybe once or twice offhandedly, but she'd honestly never expected Blake to take her.

The second the car was in park, Weiss pulled off her seat belt and threw her arms around Blake, thanking her profusely.

"I can't believe it! I've always wanted to go ice skating!" she squealed. "But... are you sure we can afford it?" Weiss sat back, her shoulders slumping a little.

Blake quickly leaned forward to peck her nose.

"Don't worry," she reassured. "Actually... I never told you, but a few months ago, I got promoted to head librarian."

"What?!"

"Yeah," Blake chuckled a bit sheepishly. "But I didn't want to tell you until now, because I was using the extra money to save up for this."

"Blake..." Weiss' lips instantly broke out into a smile once more, and she hugged her again. "Thank you so much! I can't believe it."

"Well then, let's get skating so you _can_."

They got out of the car and briefly entered the building where Blake paid for their skates.

Outside, they claimed a small picnic table as their own, and Weiss left her jacket there, insisting she didn't need it.

Blake made her have a seat so she could tie on Weiss' skates for her, and then Weiss did the same for her.

When it came time to hobble over to the ice, Blake could barely keep up with her excited girlfriend. But as soon as they were on the ice, she was amazed by Weiss' stunning grace.

The smaller girl glided across the ice with ease and poise, her long white ponytail streaming out behind her. And when she turned to look at Blake with that heart-stopping smile, those sparkling blue eyes, and that joyful call of her name on her lips...

Blake was certain Weiss was nothing short of an angel.

She joined her girlfriend on the ice, a bit more clumsily at first, but as she got used to it, Blake found how to balance and move herself. She only fell a few times, and that was due to an inability to stop quickly enough when she swerved to avoid a child on the ice.

But every time she suffered a sore rump or pained palms, Weiss would glide back to her side, take her hands to pull her up and kiss her, and all of Blake's grumpiness would dissipate within the blink of an eye.

She skated a little more slowly as Weiss drifted ahead, making figure 8 patterns on the ice, gliding backward and twirling better than any professional skater. But she made sure not to be too far away from Blake for too long.

After ten minutes of working off the excess energy bubbling up in her chest, Weiss was sure to take Blake's hand and stay at her side.

They set a slow, steady pace, keeping to themselves as they lapped the large rink three, then four times. The sprinkling snowflakes falling all around them added greatly to the scenery, but despite the flurry, Weiss never once displayed symptoms of being cold, even without her jacket.

But Blake still shivered a bit, and Weiss was sure to keep close to her, hugging her to help her warm up, blessing her cold cheeks and mouth with her lips.

They skated for an hour, and at last, Blake couldn't ignore the erratic throbbing of her heart any longer. It was becoming too much to bear now that the initial excitement had faded a bit.

The beaming smile hadn't left Weiss' face since they'd arrived here, and Blake's ears were now flicking crazily beneath her hat.

It was difficult to finally start speaking the words she'd planned many weeks in advance. Blake cleared her throat and stopped skating, gently encouraging Weiss to do the same.

"Weiss...?"

Weiss sensed the delicateness of Blake's voice, her tone soft and timid in dire contrast to the hearty laughter they'd been sharing for the past hour.

Weiss stopped instantly and looked up into her girlfriend's golden eyes.

"Blake? What's wrong?" Her smile faded, and her heart started to pound a little.

But Blake kissed her softly to fend off the worrying.

"No, no," she murmured. "Nothing's wrong, Weiss. Nothing at all, I promise. In fact... everything's... so _right_..." She pulled away, her gaze boring into Weiss' as she tried out a smile.

Weiss reflected it and kissed her cheek.

"I know. This is the best day of my life, I'm fairly certain."

"Then I hope I don't ruin it."

"How could you ever do that?" Weiss wondered. "Here's how; you can't possibly. So don't you worry about it. Now what is it you wanted to say to me?"

"Well..." Blake released a breath, watching the white puff of air carry up into the flurrying snow around them. "It was less of... what I wanted to say to you, and more of... what I wanted to... _ask_ of you..."

Puzzled, Weiss quirked an eyebrow, silently prompting her to go on.

Blake inhaled another shaky breath, wondering how to begin.

"Well... you know how I said... I got that promotion at work?"

Weiss nodded.

Blake swallowed and went on.

"Well I... I saved up some of the money to let us come here... b-but I-I saved up for s-something else, too..."

Weiss had to wonder if Blake was getting chilly out here, judging by how badly she was stammering now.

But before she could inquire, her eyes were drawn to Blake's gloved hand as it went to her pants pocket.

Weiss knew her heart stopped in that moment.

She suddenly understood that Blake wasn't stammering because she was cold.

With another shaking breath, Blake extracted the little black box from her pocket, and slid her right foot back on the ice-

-until she was down on one knee.

Weiss was already crying as her girlfriend started to speak:

"Weiss..." Blake said, fighting to keep her voice steady and audible. "Weiss... I know it's... that it might be too soon... b-but I really just... I needed to do this now. I _wanted_ to." She gasped a little, struggling to keep her eyes open past the flow of tears running down her face now.

"I've... for eight whole years now, I've loved you... more than _anything_. It's never... b-been anyone else, Weiss. Only you. It'll always be only you..."

She pulled off her gloves and put them on the ice before her, ignoring the crowd that had gathered around them. Her eyes were only on her beautiful girlfriend.

"It's only been eight years... but I feel that's been more th-than enough time. We've only been living together for one year now, but I... I know this is what I want. Eight years of loving you have been enough for me to know what I want. What we _both_ want. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Weiss. So..."

Getting choked up, she swallowed again, blinking away a steady flow of tears from either side of her face.

Weiss was crying too, her knees trembling as both gloved hands covered her mouth.

Blake didn't want to keep her waiting a second longer.

"Weiss Schnee..." She spoke as loudly as her broken voice could manage. "Will you do me the utmost honor... and marry me?"

Every single word Blake had spoken had struck Weiss' heartstrings with poignant fervor.

Eight years.

In a few weeks, it would be officially nine.

But Weiss was certain, too. She had been for countless months now.

Blake was right; she didn't want anything else.

Only this.

Only Blake.

Which was why the second the question had left her girlfriend's lips, Weiss was on her knees on the frigid ice with her arms around Blake, hugging her fervently enough to bowl her over onto the ice.

"Yes-!" she cried. "Yes, Blake, _yes!_ "

Blake didn't even feel the soreness in her body when she hit the ice; her back was cold, but her chest was so, so warm. She needed to scramble to reach her unoccupied hand up to toss off her hat, ears flicking wildly.

"R...Really?"

"Yes!"

Weiss' answer was unmistakable. There was no way Blake had misheard now.

The cheering of the surrounding crowd spoke volumes as well.

With a squeal of her own, Blake sat up and hugged Weiss, their legs tangled sloppily together, their hair frazzled and messy, their faces red and drenched.

But above the clapping and cheering of the crowd, they could hear the joyous sobs of the other.

Weiss could only cry, though Blake was able to laugh a bit in between. She pulled Weiss into her arms and hugged her tightly, supporting her girlfriend's shuddering back and kissing her face repeatedly.

Weiss couldn't form many words just yet, only four.

"I love you, Blake. I love you, I love you...!"

Blake told her the same phrases and kissed her over and over.

"I love you, Weiss."

At last, she managed to find her girlfriend's hands.

Blake removed the little white gloves and held Weiss' shaking left palm in her right. With her left, she removed the diamond ring from its box and slipped it onto her ring finger.

"A perfect fit," Blake murmured. "For a perfect fiancee."

That word was what broke Weiss altogether.

She cried for nearly half an hour just sitting there on the ice, and no one disturbed them. Blake cried with her, holding Weiss close to feel her heartbeat, words tumbling past her lips like waterfalls.

"Thank you, Weiss. Thank you for being... the person I fell in love with. Thank you. I love you..."

When Weiss could finally find the strength to speak again, she started by doing so in between kisses.

"Blake Belladonna..." she whimpered. "You are... the greatest blessing in this world. You're my... my blessing. I could never ask... for anything more. I love you w-with all my heart and soul. I'll never stop – not in a million years."

And Blake knew her words were true, because she'd never stop either.

She handed Weiss the other ring that had sat in the box, and the white-haired girl slipped it onto Blake's ring finger for her.

It was a while later before they could both manage to stand, though it was a struggle to get back to the table to sit down and remove their skates.

As Blake was untying Weiss' skates for her, the smaller girl had finally wiped away the last of her tears.

"And you... you silly girl," she mumbled. "You thought you might _ruin_ my birthday... You've just made it the best day of my _entire_ life..."

Blake straightened up only to bend down and kiss her again.

"I'm glad. Because it's the best day of my life now, too."

" _Our_ life," Weiss corrected her.

"Right," Blake nodded. "This is our life now. It's... it's official."

"It really is..."

Once they'd changed back into their normal boots, the pair embraced once more, reminding themselves and one another that this wasn't just a dream, but a dream come true.

They would have plenty of time to plan things out from here, plenty of time to tell their families and to save up some money.

But for now, Blake simply took her girlfriend out to dinner, and then back home.

Past the snow-cold air outside was a tender warmth unlike anything else in the world, a warmth kindled between their chests, where their hearts beat as one.

They shared that heartbeat just as they'd share everything else.

They'd share the good times and the bad times, the hardships and the excitement.

Breath after breath, kiss after kiss, confession after confession – they'd share everything.

Eight years together would soon become nine, and there would be many more to follow.

Side-by-side, hand-in-hand, they'd walk that path together, wherever it might lead them.

* * *

 **A/N: Weiss and Blake deserve a happy finite ending in at least one of my fics by now! I hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for reading!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


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